This article is part of our alcohol-free special, where we share fresh insights and honest buying advice on all things non-alcoholic. Curious about the best alcohol-free sparkling wine? Or the best alcohol-free white wine? Then dive right in!
When autumn fog drifts over the rooftops and the flip-flops are hibernating in the closet, we can simply bring summer back with an Aperol Spritz. Honestly – what would life be without that bright orange glass full of sunshine? Without that taste of Lake Garda holidays, warm evenings on the piazza, and laughter bubbling up like spritzes while the sun melts into the horizon?
Alcohol-free Aperol – does that even work? At the Viertel Bar in the Badhaus, Brixen, we mixed, tinkered, and tasted our way through the world of zero-percent Aperol. Six drinks, six attempts to bottle the magic of summer – and not a single drop of alcohol between them. Between bitterness and sweetness, clinking ice cubes and warm orange hues, we wanted to know: can you really recreate that Dolce Vita feeling when the alcohol is gone? And which one is truly the best alcohol-free Aperol?
The setting: Brixen’s old town, the terrace of the Viertel Bar, tucked inside the courtyard, with bartender Paul behind the counter. The last rays of sunlight, the clinking of glasses – and right in the middle of it all, a question: Is this just a pretty imitation, or is it truly summer in liquid form?
What’s Actually in Aperol?
Everyone knows it, yet hardly anyone really knows what’s actually in their glass. Aperol – the iconic deep-orange original – was invented in 1919 in Padua. The exact recipe is a tightly kept secret, including whether artificial aromas are used. But the basics are no mystery: bitter orange, sweet orange, rhubarb, gentian, cinchona bark, herbs, sugar – and of course alcohol. That’s the part that gives the liqueur its depth and structure – it carries the aromas, rounds them out, and gives this iconic drink its unmistakable character.
Why Even the Best Alcohol-Free Aperol Has a Hard Time
Alcohol-free Aperol sounds simple, but it’s almost a craft of its own. Without alcohol, the drink loses much of its aromatic depth, and that signature lingering warmth on the palate. Many producers try to compensate with extra sweetness or plant-based bitters, leading to some wildly different results. Some zero percent Aperol alternatives manage to capture the Italian vibe surprisingly well, while others get stuck somewhere between lemonade and lifestyle.
Our bartender Paul from the Badhaus raised an eyebrow. As a pro, his take is clear:
Better to create something new than imitate the original!
The Best Alcohol-Free Aperol: How Did We Test It?
Testing a liqueur that’s meant to be part of a mixed drink is tricky – the other ingredients can easily skew the result. To provide a consistent baseline, we stuck to the original Aperol Spritz recipe as specified by the maker, the Campari Group.
The alcohol-free version follows the classic 3–2–1 recipe, but instead of Prosecco, we used an alcohol-free sparkling wine from Thomson & Scott – the winner of our big zero-percent sparkling test. To keep the mix from distorting the flavours too much, we first tasted each alcohol-free Aperol chilled over ice, then mixed with mineral water, before finally tasting the fully assembled drink.
Ingredients
- 3 parts Prosecco
- 2 parts Aperol
- 1 splash soda water
- Ice cubes
- 1 slice of orange
Preparation
- Fill a wine glass generously with ice.
- Pour in the Prosecco first, then the Aperol – this keeps the colour bright and lets everything blend smoothly.
- Add a splash of soda water.
- Stir gently – just enough to mix without losing the bubbles.
- Garnish with an orange slice – done!
The Best Alcohol-Free Aperol: Our Test Line-Up
For our big comparison test, we featured six different alcohol-free aperitifs, from established brands to fresh start-ups. Among them: well-known players like Lyre’s and UNDONE, design-driven newcomers like POLLY and freikopf, the Bavarian organic aperitif Mondino Senza, and the Belgian premium brand NONA.
The line-up covers the full spectrum from classic bitter to fruity and herbal, with prices ranging from about € 15 to € 30 per bottle. The result? A fascinating mix of design statements and craftsmanship, bitter orange and gentian, lemonade and lifestyle – packed with surprises, standouts, and one clear takeaway: La Dolce Vita works perfectly well without alcohol. You just have to dig a little deeper into your wallet.
Alcohol-Free Aperol: Prices and Ingredients at a Glance
| Producer | Product | Price per bottle | Price /liter | Ingredients | Sugar Content g/100 ml |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brennerei Schnitzer | Mondino Aperitivo Senza Alkoholfrei | € 14.90/ 625 ml | € 23.84 | Water, sugar*, fruit juices from concentrate*, herbal, spice and fruit extracts* * from certified organic farming | 14.5 |
| freikopf | sunpéro | € 24.99/ 500 ml | € 49.98 | Water, inverted sugar syrup, natural aroma, acidifier: E338, preservative: potassium sorbate, colourants: cochineal red A (E122), tartrazine | 17.43 |
| Lyre’s | Italian Spritz | € 28.75/ 700 ml | € 41.07 | Water, sugar, natural aroma, acidifier: phosphoric acid, preservatives: potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, E242; colourants: sunset yellow, azorubine | 20 |
| NONA | Spritz | € 29.90/ 700 ml | € 42.71 | Water, plant extracts and distillates, sugar, acidifier: citric acid, colourants: E129 + E102, preservative: potassium sorbate | 8 |
| POLLY | Italian Aperitif | € 14.90/ 500 ml | € 29.80 | Water, inverted sugar syrup, natural aroma, herbal extract, bitter orange peel distillate; aroma: quinine, orange oil, mandarin oil; acidifier: citric acid; colouring (sweet potato and carrot concentrate); preservative: potassium sorbate | 15 |
| UNDONE | No. 5 Bittersweet Aperitif – This Is Not Italian Aperol | € 29.99/ 700 ml | € 42.84 | Water, inverted sugar syrup, natural aromas, acidifier: citric acid, preservative: potassium sorbate, aroma: quinine, colourants: sunset yellow (E110) and cochineal red A (E124) | 15 |
| The Original for Comparison: Aperol | Aperitivo | € 13.49/ 700 ml (UVP) | € 19.27 | Sugar, alcohol, plant extracts, natural aromas, aromas, quinine, sodium chloride, colourants: sunset yellow (E110), cochineal red A (E124) | 26 |
Curious which alcohol-free Aperol alternative truly won us over – and which one falls flat despite its fancy label? Clinking ice cubes, glowing orange, six contenders going head-to-head: the full story of our tasting in Brixen, our test winner and our top pick await you on our sister magazine DOWNTOWN. Cin Cin – and here’s to a summer without the hangover!
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Words: Susanne Feddersen, Felicia Nastal Photos: Jan Fock