Aperol spritz with blood orange pop

Aperol and blood orange are one of our favourite combinations. If blood oranges aren’t in season, you can substitute pink grapefruit. If you don’t have icy pole moulds, use small disposable cups, as we’ve done here, to set your pops in. If you have large moulds, just half fill to make sure they fit easily in the glass.

• makes

  6-8

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

Blood orange pops

• 60 g caster sugar
• 60 ml water
• 375 ml (1½ cups) blood orange juice (about 7 blood oranges), plus ½ extra, halved and thinly sliced

Individual Aperol spritz

• 60 ml Aperol
• 90 ml prosecco
• 1 dash soda water
• thinly sliced blood orange

Freezing time overnight

You’ll need to begin this recipe a day ahead.

Instructions

To make the blood orange pops, combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, and stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to the simmer and reduce to thicken slightly (1-2 minutes). Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Once cool, whisk the sugar syrup and blood orange juice together in a bowl. Divide the mixture among icy pole moulds, add a blood orange slice to each, then cover with foil and insert icy pole sticks. Freeze until completely frozen (8 hours to overnight). To remove, place the moulds in a container of cold water, coming up three-quarters of the way, and pull the sticks gently to remove. Makes about 6-8 pops (depending on the size of your pops).

To make the individual Aperol spritz, place ice cubes in a tumbler, add the Aperol and top with the prosecco and a dash of soda water. Place a blood orange pop in each tumbler and garnish with blood a orange slice.

Alice Storey & Georgi Larb are the summer-loving duo behind Pure Pops.

Photography by Benito Martin. Styling by Lynsey Fryers.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.