The City caught a serious case of Giants Fever over the weekend. A lot of people were decked out in black and orange to support the home team (and maybe for Halloween). In honor of the newly crowned 2012 World Champion Giants, this post is dedicated to Orange October Cocktails featuring Aperol, one of our favorite aperitivos from Italy. Aperol is sweeter than Campari, but it still does have a bitter taste. Note that we made these drinks with our “pantry” bar, so substitutions from the original recipes are noted.

This first drink, South Slope, was created by Michael Madrusan while he was living in the Brooklyn neighborhood. The recipe is available in Jim Meehan’s excellent The PDT Cocktail Book: The Complete Bartender’s Guide from the Celebrated Speakeasy.

The basic ingredients are Gin, Aperol, Lillet, Orange Liqueur and lemon juice. The South Slope is one of the sweeter drinks in…