Spicy Pineapple Aperol Spritzer with Valerie Bertinelli

Join me for a fun, candid interview with actress and Food Network star Valerie Bertinelli plus a delicious pineapple and Aperol spritzer cocktail recipe inspired by the chat. We talk about food, recipe development, Trump, battle of the network stars, and so much more!
A Jerry James Stone Recipe

Categories

Cocktail, Green, Red, Vegetarian

Ingredients
  

  • 2 slices of jalapeño
  • 5 sprigs of fresh cilantro
  • ¼ tsp sugar
  • 5 dashes of orange bitters
  • 2 oz pineapple juice
  • 2 oz Aperol
  • 2 oz Añejo tequila
  • Crushed ice
Jump to instructions
Yields 1
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Instructions

  • Add the jalapeno slices, fresh cilantro, sugar, orange bitters, and a splash of pineapple juice to a 16 ounce mason jar.
  • You probably won’t use up all the cilantro you purchased for this recipe, so here is how to easily store it. This will keep it fresh for weeks. Make sure the herb is completely dry. Then roll it up in a paper towel and store it in a plastic bag with all of the air removed. You can see the full instructions on storing cilantro here: How to store Cilantro for Weeks
  • Muddle the fresh cilantro and jalapeno by pressing down on it with a muddler and giving it a few turns. You don’t want to over work the herb.
  • Also, if you purchased jalapenos just for this recipe, check out my Quick Pickle recipe as an easy way to use the rest of them up.
  • Now fill the jar up with crushed ice. BTW, this recipe is easily scalable. This is just for one cocktail.
  • Add the pineapple juice, Añejo tequila, and Aperol. You can really use any tequila you have on hand. Because Añejo is oaked, it is sweeter and a bit more rounded than tequila blanco. I find those notes work really well with the cilantro, jalapeno, and pineapple. The vanilla from the oaking gives the drink a nice tropical spin.
  • Mix the drink and then serve. You can garnish it with leaves from a pineapple crown like I did or just fresh pineapple.
  • Enjoy!