Aperol Ushers In the ‘Aperolidays’ With Nina Dobrev Leading the Cheer

Aperol wants to make the holidays bright orange this year.

The Italian aperitivo brand is rolling out the first-ever "Aperolidays," a seasonal push designed to nudge the Aperol Spritz out of its summer-only box and into year-end gatherings.

The brand frames the campaign around togetherness and the idea that the Spritz works just as well during cold-weather celebrations as it does on a beach.

Hollywood star Nina Dobrev leads the charge as the brand’s seasonal face, sharing new content with her followers and showing how the drink can fit naturally into holiday moments.

“The Aperol Spritz has always been my go-to drink when I'm celebrating with friends,” she said.

“Especially during the holidays, there's something about having an Aperol Spritz with the people I love that instantly feels joyful and effortless.”

Aperol is also leaning on what it describes as a more intentional year-round positioning.

"'Aperolidays' brings that warmth and togetherness to life in true Italian style," Allison Varone, Head of Marketing at Campari America, said.

The brand has been working to stretch its identity beyond summer through consistent lifestyle cues, social content, and now, holiday-focused offerings aimed at older Gen Z and millennial consumers.

Limited-edition cocktail kits, available through "Cocktail Courier," include all the essentials:

• Aperol
• Prosecco
• Soda water
• Oranges
• Earmuffs
• Ornaments
• Branded glassware

The kits are meant to spark at-home rituals similar to Campari’s previous seasonal pushes for the Negroni, which saw strong engagement from home mixologists.

A Spritzed-Up NYC Takeover

In line with the campaign, Aperol is transforming New York City into its holiday stage, using décor, themed cocktails, and pop-up moments to push awareness.

Select bars and restaurants across the city will feature limited-time Spritz executions, aligning with the brand’s push to make the cocktail feel celebratory and winter-friendly.

Apart from the activation, the brand will launch a new winter merch collection that spans cozy knit sweaters to ornaments and glassware, continuing the brand’s growing focus on lifestyle products.

Similar to how brands like Dunkin' have utilized merchandise and limited-edition collabs to fuel culture-led momentum, Aperol is building a platform that extends beyond the drink itself.

The brand hopes these seasonal touchpoints spark repeat user-generated content (UGC), the same playbook used by other beverage brands during peak seasonality spikes.

What Marketers Can Learn From Aperol’s Seasonal Push

Aperol is presenting us with a blueprint for how to transform a product fitting for all seasons. 

Here, we learn: 

• Seasonal repositioning is especially effective when a brand pairs product rituals with merch, kits, and on-ground experiences.
• Content from recognizable talent helps anchor familiarity, echoing past Campari efforts and moves from brands like Kahlua.
• Merch lines create pathways for daily relevance, turning drink brands into lifestyle staples among the other competitive holiday clutter.

We've seen it many times before. 

Not so long ago, Coors Light launched new merch in partnership with artist Shaboozey, leveraging his unique aesthetic to create limited-edition tees. 

In the case of Aperol, the real test will be whether the brand can hold its newly built winter relevance long enough to spark repeat habits in markets beyond New York.

Our Take: Will This Spritz Strategy Stick?

There’s something bold about trying to rewrite a drink’s seasonality in a market that loves its habits.

We like how Aperol is refusing to let summer own the Spritz.

The smartest part isn’t even the kits or the décor but the way they’ve tucked connection and ritual into a drink that usually gets treated like a trend.

That’s what makes campaigns like this breathe.

And if Aperol keeps leaning into culture instead of just content, the orange wave won't be slowing down soon.

In other news, Matthew McConaughey's tequila brand Pantalones poked fun at the actor's viral "bonggo incident" from decades back to spark nostalgia among its consumers. 

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