The Spaghett, or as I like to call it the Dive Bar Aperol Spritz...

And I mean that in the best way possible.

I love this cocktail for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that it contains Aperol, and anyone who has known me for any length of time knows I am a sucker for an Aperol cocktail. Two of the other key reasons are that it is built in the bottle and soooo simple to make, so let's get to it...

Recipe: The Spaghett

Ingredients:

• 1 (12 oz) bottle of Miller High Life

• 1 oz Aperol

• 1/2 oz lemon juice (fresh is best, but the bottled stuff would really sell the dive bar vibe)

Build:

This drink's build is going to depend on whether it's for you or for someone else, at least the first step is...

1. Either pour ~1.5–2 oz into a shot glass, or if this is for you, drink about that much out of the bottle. If it's for someone else, I would use the shot glass method and serve that as a sidecar of sorts.

2. Add Aperol and lemon juice directly to the bottle with the remaining High Life, and serve. It is that simple.

History/Story:

As I like to call it, the "Dive Bar Aperol Spritz," the Spaghett was created in 2016 at Wet City Brewery in Baltimore by bartender Reed Cahill. Described as a "bastardized Aperol Spritz" by PJ Sullivan, manager of Wet City Brewery, the drink draws its name from a character with a similar name on the popular show Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! As the story goes, the character it was named after, Spagett, is "a weirdo eating spaghetti," and the drink's inspiration is an Italian classic.

From 2016 to 2019, the Spaghett lived a relatively quiet life, tucked away from the spotlight, until one fateful day when a writer for Bon Appétit named Alex Delany happened across the drink during a visit to Wet City Brewery, and he fell in love with it.

Delany is noted as referring to the Spaghett as "an everyman's drink" due to its lack of any specialized equipment or technique and its readily available ingredients. Delany is also credited with writing the article dedicated to the drink, which ultimately led to its popularity and cultural growth.

To this day, it is celebrated annually at Wet City Brewery every August 6th, the anniversary of Delany's article being published.