From David Lebovitz's Drinking French Notes: For the red bitter apéritif, David prefers Dolin, which he describes as being "less aggressive than some of the Italian red bitter apéritifs, whose intensity can mask any subtle botanical flavors." He also loves California-made Bruto Americano, but includes Campari as an option. Not sure how he would feel about using Aperol, but I've used it here and loved it.