The Spritz is an alcoholic aperitif with a prosecco base; it is beloved all through Italy and abroad, not only in the Triveneto region, where it was born.
Its name originates from the German verb spritzen (“to splash”). Also known as a “spritzer” outside Italy, the Spritz’s name is a heritage from the Austrian’s dominion over Triveneto: apparently the Hapsburgs’ soldiers used to enjoy the local wines, especially prosecco, but diluted them with water. It seems though that the locals had been drinking wine with water for a very long time, maybe even centuries.
A first evolution of the Spritz came from the addition of seltz, a type of carbonated water already used in the 1800s, which improves the prosecco by making it a sparkling, lightly alcoholic, refreshing beverage. Since then, the Spritz has been modernized by adding liqueurs that give it a nice bittersweet note and its typical orange coloring.
How do you make a Spritz cocktail?
Nowadays the Spritz is one of the most beloved and easy to make aperitifs: just slightly alcoholic and cheerfully orange in color. There isn’t an official recipe for the ideal spritzer, but usually bartenders respect the “golden” proportion of 1/3 prosecco, 1/3 liqueur, and 1/3 sparkling water or seltz.
At the base of the ideal Spritz is a very cold prosecco, a liqueur like our Aperitivo Fabbrizii (our secret family recipe), Aperol, Bitter, Select (mostly in Venice), then sparkling water or seltz, and ice.
A spritzer is served in a wine glass. The only condition to enjoy it at its best is to put the ice in the glass before the other ingredients. An orange slice is the last touch for serving the classic orange-colored Spritz. A variation to the classic is the Hugo spritzer, made with prosecco, elder flowers syrup, seltz and mint leaves.
