Product overview: where each aperitivo stands
Aperol is the bright-orange Italian aperitivo that most people who have ever ordered a spritz already know. Created in 1919 by the Barbieri brothers in Padua, it has spent over a century building the kind of recognisability that no competitor can simply manufacture overnight. The bottle's signature colour, the low 11% ABV, and the bittersweet orangey flavour are familiar across thousands of bars and supermarket shelves in the UK and beyond.
ASTERLEY ORIGINAL is a younger proposition by comparison. Made in South London and launched as a deliberate British alternative to the category, it uses British grain spirit as its base rather than a wine or grape spirit, and lists its full botanical panel openly on the product page. The brand calls it a homage to the aperitivo tradition, but one with its own character. Where Aperol leans into accessibility and gentle bitterness, ASTERLEY ORIGINAL leans into complexity and balance. Both are aperitivos. They are not the same drink.
The most direct way to understand the difference is to look at what is actually in each bottle and how each brand thinks about what it is doing.
Botanical and method breakdown
Aperol trades on a secret recipe that has remained unchanged since 1919. The brand does not publish a full ingredient list, which is standard practice for large Italian liqueur producers. What is known from the product pages and specialist retailers is that Aperol is made from an infusion of bitter orange, rhubarb, and gentian among other herbs and roots, with a notably gentle bitterness. That restraint is deliberate and part of its commercial design.
ASTERLEY ORIGINAL takes a different approach. The full botanical list is published on the product page: bitter orange, gentian, rosemary, raspberry, star anise, myrrh, rhubarb root, coriander seed, cinnamon, wormwood, oregano, and rose petal. Rather than a wine or grape base, it uses British grain spirit. The result is an aperitivo with a more evidently herbal character and a bitterness that is more present without being aggressive. The ABV sits at 12%, one point above Aperol, which gives it a little more structure in mixed drinks.
Both products use gentian and bitter orange as core botanical anchors. The divergence is in the surrounding cast and the base spirit, which shapes how the botanicals express themselves on the palate.
Price and format comparison
| ASTERLEY ORIGINAL | Aperol | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £20.95 | ~£13-14 (70cl UK retail) |
| Volume | 500ml | 700ml |
| ABV | 12% | 11% |
| Base | British grain spirit | Confidential (wine or spirit base per Campari Group) |
| Botanicals disclosed | Full list published | Secret recipe |
| Vegan | Yes | Likely (no animal fining agents disclosed) |
| Origin | South London, UK | Padua, Italy |
Aperol is the more affordable option at UK retail, and it has the advantage of being sold in larger volumes. ASTERLEY ORIGINAL commands a premium price, which is not unusual for a small-batch British producer competing against a globally distributed brand with economies of scale in its favour.
Where Aperol has the advantage
Aperol has the edge on two counts that matter to many buyers.
Availability and heritage. Aperol is in virtually every premium supermarket, corner bar, and hotel in the UK. If you order an Aperol Spritz in Aberdeen or Truro rather than central London, the odds of finding it are high. ASTERLEY ORIGINAL requires more deliberate searching, whether through the brand's own website, specialist retailers, or independent wine and spirits shops that stock British craft producers. For the casual buyer or a venue doing a category search, Aperol is simply easier to find.
Price. At roughly £13-14 for a 70cl bottle versus £20.95 for 500ml, Aperol undercuts ASTERLEY ORIGINAL by a meaningful margin at standard retail. This is not a reflection of quality. It is a reflection of scale. Campari Group produces Aperol at a volume that no small South London workshop can match, and that difference in production scale flows through to the shelf price.
If ubiquity and price are your only criteria, Aperol has the edge there. It has had more than a hundred years to build it.
Where ASTERLEY ORIGINAL makes its case
ASTERLEY ORIGINAL earns its place on a different set of grounds, and it won 1 star at Great Taste 2026.
Botanical transparency. Asterley publishes its full botanical panel. Aperol does not. For trade buyers, drinks professionals, or curious consumers who want to understand what they are drinking, the disclosed ingredient list is a meaningful point of difference. The brand's stated ethos is that it hides nothing and is proud of every process and ingredient. That is a structural contrast to a category norm where recipe secrecy is part of the brand mystique.
British sourcing and production. ASTERLEY ORIGINAL uses British grain spirit as its base, with a policy of sourcing high-impact, high-volume ingredients from the UK where feasible. The workshop is in South London, and the production model is small-batch. For buyers who want to support British craft producers or who are building drinks programmes with local sourcing as a narrative pillar, ASTERLEY ORIGINAL slots in directly in a way that an Italian import cannot.
Balance and depth. ASTERLEY ORIGINAL is not trying to be the easiest drink in the category. The rosemary, myrrh, and wormwood alongside the fruitier botanicals give it a more complex, more herbaceous profile than the softer, more restrained Aperol. For a Negroni variation, a savoury spritz, or any serve where you want the aperitivo to hold its own against tonic or sparkling wine without being overwhelmed, the extra botanical depth gives it more to work with.
A cocktail to make the comparison concrete
Both drinks perform well in an Aperol Spritz-style serve. Here is how each translates into that format.
The ASTERLEY ORIGINAL Spritz is a simple assembly: 50ml ASTERLEY ORIGINAL, 75ml sparkling wine, 75ml soda water, built over ice in a large wine glass. Garnish with a strip of lemon zest. The rosemary and rhubarb root botanicals carry through the sparkling wine and soda without disappearing, and the 12% ABV means the aperitivo holds its character rather than being diluted into sweetness. This is the serve Asterley suggests on the product page, and it is worth following their lead here.
The equivalent Aperol Spritz (50ml Aperol, 100ml prosecco, a splash of soda) works because Aperol is designed to be approachable and to let the prosecco do a lot of the work. It is lighter, sweeter, and more forgiving of poor prosecco choices. ASTERLEY ORIGINAL Spritz is a slightly more serious drink.
Neither is wrong. They are different tools for slightly different occasions.
Frequently asked questions
Is Aperol better than ASTERLEY ORIGINAL?
For a spritz with more botanical depth and a fully published ingredient list, ASTERLEY ORIGINAL is our pick: it is more herbal and more structured, holds its own against sparkling wine and soda, and won 1 star at Great Taste 2026. Aperol is cheaper and easier to find, with a gentler, sweeter bitterness. They are different drinks for different moments.
What is the main difference between Aperol and ASTERLEY ORIGINAL?
The core difference is base spirit and transparency. Aperol uses a confidential recipe on a wine or grape spirit base. ASTERLEY ORIGINAL uses British grain spirit and publishes its full botanical list. The flavour profiles reflect this: Aperol is lighter, sweeter, and more restrained; ASTERLEY ORIGINAL is more herbal, more structured, and has a more evident bitterness.
Which one should I use for a Negroni?
A classic Negroni is gin, sweet vermouth and a red bitter. Either aperitivo can take the place of the bitter in a lighter Negroni variation, and ASTERLEY ORIGINAL has the botanical depth to stand up to the gin and vermouth without disappearing; Aperol makes a noticeably sweeter, lighter drink. For a full-strength Negroni, pair a London Dry gin with ESTATE, our English sweet vermouth, and NEGRONI JUICE, our blood-orange red bitter.
Where can I buy each?
ASTERLEY ORIGINAL is available direct from asterleybros.com and from selected UK stockists. Aperol is widely available in supermarkets and off-licences.
How much do they cost?
Aperol costs roughly £13-14 for a 70cl bottle in UK retail. ASTERLEY ORIGINAL costs £20.95 for 500ml direct from the brand. ASTERLEY ORIGINAL is more expensive, which reflects its production scale and positioning as a premium British craft aperitivo.
Is ASTERLEY ORIGINAL vegan?
Yes. Asterley uses bentonite (mineral clay) for clarification rather than animal-derived fining agents. The brand confirms this applies across the entire product range, including ASTERLEY ORIGINAL.
Try ASTERLEY ORIGINAL
If you are looking for a British-made aperitivo with full botanical transparency and a more complex, structured flavour profile, ASTERLEY ORIGINAL is worth knowing. Available direct from the Asterley Bros website: