Easy to make and wonderfully refreshing, there’s a reason the spritz is a staple of summer cocktail menus. Made using the simple three-two-one ratio of prosecco, aperitif and soda water, the Italian cocktail is remarkably straightforward to replicate at home.
The story behind the spritz dates back to the 1800s, according to Olivia White in Vine Pair. That’s when Austrian soldiers in the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia began diluting Italian wines with a splash of soda water to “make them more palatable”.
It wasn’t until 1919, though, that Aperol made its debut in Padua. The recipe for the orange-coloured aperitif took the Barbieri brothers seven years to perfect – and remains intact to this day. By the 1960s, the winning formula for the Aperol spritz had been nailed down, and the ingredients for the cocktail began making their way into drinks cabinets across the globe.
Demand is showing no signs of slowing down, either. In 2023 alone, Campari Group’s Aperol sales soared by 23.1%, said The Spirits Business, and have quintupled in the last decade.
While the Aperol iteration is arguably the most famous spritz of all, in recent years mixologists have been putting their own twist on the classic drink. “As iconic as it is,” said Chadner Navarro in Vogue, “there isn’t actually a rigid recipe for what counts as a spritz – and maybe that’s part of its timeless allure.”
For a “more citrus-forward” take, Renato Marco Tonelli, the beverage training director at Dante in New York and Beverly Hills, told Vogue to swap Aperol for Select Aperitivo that’s been pre-blended with rhubarb amaro and blood-orange gin. Instead of “plain-Jane soda water”, the recipe “amps up the acidity” with a splash of blood-orange soda mixed with balsamic vinegar.
If you’re looking for something a bit easier, BBC Good Food shared two simple recipes: one swaps Aperol for a glug of limoncello and a sprig of fresh thyme; the other replaces the vibrant aperitif with a heady mix of ginger beer and golden ale.
Finally, for a “sweet and crisp” take on a spritz, Amy Beecham in Stylist advised replacing Aperol with St-Germain elderflower liqueur. Top the fruity spirit with prosecco, soda and a wedge of orange for an easy-drinking cocktail ideal for a balmy summer night.