A Spritz is a Venetian
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
-based
cocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely across ...
, commonly served as an
aperitif in
Northeast Italy
Northeast Italy ( it, Italia nord-orientale or just ) is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), a first level NUTS region and a European Parliament constituency. Northeast ...
. It consists of
prosecco
Prosecco (; Italian: ) is an Italian DOC or DOCG white wine produced in a large area spanning nine provinces in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions, and named after the village of Prosecco which is in the province of Trieste, Italy. It ...
,
digestive bitters and
soda water
Carbonated water (also known as soda water, sparkling water, fizzy water, club soda, water with gas, in many places as mineral water, or especially in the United States as seltzer or seltzer water) is water containing dissolved carbon dioxide gas, ...
.
The original Spritz Veneziano () uses
Select as bitters and was created in Venice in 1920.
Popular variants are Spritz al Campari which uses
Campari
Campari () is an Italian alcoholic liqueur, considered an apéritif (20.5%, 21%, 24%, 25%, or 28.5% ABV, depending on the country where it is sold), obtained from the infusion of herbs and fruit (including chinotto and cascarilla) in alcohol and ...
and Aperol Spritz which uses
Aperol
Aperol is an Italian bitter apéritif made of gentian, rhubarb and cinchona, among other ingredients. It has a vibrant orange hue. Its name comes from ''apero'', an Italian slang word for apéritif (''aperitivo'').
History
Aperol was original ...
as bitters.
Since 2011 Spritz is an
IBA official cocktail, initially listed as “Spritz Veneziano” then simply as “Spritz”.
[Alessandro Marzo Magno, 1979: l'anno dello spritz, in Il genio del gusto. Come il mangiare italiano ha conquistato il mondo, Milano, Garzanti, 2014, pp. 307-318, ISBN 9788811682936]
The Spritz became widely popular outside of Italy in the 2010 decade and Aperol Spritz was ranked as the world's ninth bestselling cocktail in 2019 by the website Drinks International.
History
Spritz was created during the period of the
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
domination in
Veneto
Veneto (, ; vec, Vèneto ) or Venetia is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about five million, ranking fourth in Italy. The region's capital is Venice while the biggest city is Verona.
Veneto was part of the Roman Empire unt ...
in the 1800s, under the
Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia
The Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia ( la, links=no, Regnum Langobardiae et Venetiae), commonly called the "Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom" ( it, links=no, Regno Lombardo-Veneto, german: links=no, Königreich Lombardo-Venetien), was a constituent land ...
. The soldiers, but also the various merchants, diplomats and employees of the
Habsburg Empire
The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
in Veneto became quickly accustomed to drinking local wine in the taverns, but they were not familiar with the wide variety of wines from the Veneto, and the alcohol content was higher than they were accustomed to. The newcomers started to ask the local hosts to spray (, in German) a drop of water into the
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
to make the wines lighter; the real original spritz was composed of sparkling white wine or red wine diluted with fresh water.
Between
1920s
File:1920s decade montage.png, From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Seán Hogan during the Irish War of Independence; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, whic ...
and
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png, From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson shows the effects of the Great Depression; due to extreme drought conditions, farms across the south-central United States become dry a ...
, in
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
or in
Padua
Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
, Spritz was combined with local
bitters
Bitters (plural also ''bitters'') is traditionally an alcoholic preparation flavored with botanical matter for a bitter or bittersweet flavor. Originally, numerous longstanding brands of bitters were developed as patent medicines, but now are ...
(usually drunk with soda and ice): after all,
Aperol
Aperol is an Italian bitter apéritif made of gentian, rhubarb and cinchona, among other ingredients. It has a vibrant orange hue. Its name comes from ''apero'', an Italian slang word for apéritif (''aperitivo'').
History
Aperol was original ...
was born in Padua in
1919
Events
January
* January 1
** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia.
** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...
and
Select in Venice in
1920
Events January
* January 1
** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20.
** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
.
The original recipe has supposedly remained unchanged over time but it wasn't until the
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.jpg, Clockwise from top left: U.S. President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office following the Watergate scandal in 1974; The United States was still involved in the Vietnam War i ...
that the modern Spritz recipe was set, with
prosecco
Prosecco (; Italian: ) is an Italian DOC or DOCG white wine produced in a large area spanning nine provinces in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions, and named after the village of Prosecco which is in the province of Trieste, Italy. It ...
instead of still wine.
Over the years the drink has "grown up" with the infinite variety of possible additions such as a sort of liquor or a bitter as the
China Martini
Amaro () is an Italian herbal liqueur that is commonly consumed as an after-dinner digestif. It usually has a bitter-sweet flavour, sometimes syrupy, and has an alcohol content between 16% and 40%.
Similar liqueurs have traditionally been pr ...
or
Cynar
Cynar () is an Italian bitter apéritif of the amaro variety. It is made from 13 herbs and plants, predominant among which is the artichoke (''Cynara scolymus''), from which the drink derives its name. Cynar is dark brown, has a bittersweet fl ...
with a lemon peel inside.
Recipe
![Aperol Spritz at Eataly - March 2022 - Sarah Stierch](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Aperol_Spritz_at_Eataly_-_March_2022_-_Sarah_Stierch.jpg)
Generally, the drink is prepared with
prosecco
Prosecco (; Italian: ) is an Italian DOC or DOCG white wine produced in a large area spanning nine provinces in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions, and named after the village of Prosecco which is in the province of Trieste, Italy. It ...
wine, bitter liqueur such as
Aperol
Aperol is an Italian bitter apéritif made of gentian, rhubarb and cinchona, among other ingredients. It has a vibrant orange hue. Its name comes from ''apero'', an Italian slang word for apéritif (''aperitivo'').
History
Aperol was original ...
,
Campari
Campari () is an Italian alcoholic liqueur, considered an apéritif (20.5%, 21%, 24%, 25%, or 28.5% ABV, depending on the country where it is sold), obtained from the infusion of herbs and fruit (including chinotto and cascarilla) in alcohol and ...
,
Cynar
Cynar () is an Italian bitter apéritif of the amaro variety. It is made from 13 herbs and plants, predominant among which is the artichoke (''Cynara scolymus''), from which the drink derives its name. Cynar is dark brown, has a bittersweet fl ...
, or, especially in
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
,
Aperitivo Select, then the glass is topped off with a dash of sparkling mineral water (more commonly
club soda
Club soda is a manufactured form of carbonated water, commonly used as a drink mixer. Sodium bicarbonate, potassium sulfate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium citrate, or sodium citrate is artificially added to replicate constituents commonly fo ...
). It is usually served with ice in a wine or rocks glass and garnished with a slice of orange, or sometimes an olive, depending on the liqueur.
Original venetian spritz includes:
* 7,5 cl
prosecco
Prosecco (; Italian: ) is an Italian DOC or DOCG white wine produced in a large area spanning nine provinces in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions, and named after the village of Prosecco which is in the province of Trieste, Italy. It ...
;
* 5 cl Select;
* 2,5 cl soda water;
* one green
olive
The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...
.
Spritz includes:
* 1/3 sparkling white wine (usually
prosecco
Prosecco (; Italian: ) is an Italian DOC or DOCG white wine produced in a large area spanning nine provinces in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions, and named after the village of Prosecco which is in the province of Trieste, Italy. It ...
)
* 1/3 bitters (
Select,
Aperol
Aperol is an Italian bitter apéritif made of gentian, rhubarb and cinchona, among other ingredients. It has a vibrant orange hue. Its name comes from ''apero'', an Italian slang word for apéritif (''aperitivo'').
History
Aperol was original ...
or
Campari
Campari () is an Italian alcoholic liqueur, considered an apéritif (20.5%, 21%, 24%, 25%, or 28.5% ABV, depending on the country where it is sold), obtained from the infusion of herbs and fruit (including chinotto and cascarilla) in alcohol and ...
);
* 1/3 sparkling or
soda water
Carbonated water (also known as soda water, sparkling water, fizzy water, club soda, water with gas, in many places as mineral water, or especially in the United States as seltzer or seltzer water) is water containing dissolved carbon dioxide gas, ...
.
IBA's official recipe includes:
* 9 cl prosecco;
* 6 cl Aperol (there are other versions of the Spritz that use Campari, Cynar or Select);
* Splash of soda water.
There is no single composition for a spritz, and it is prepared with different ingredients in different towns and cities, meaning that the alcohol content is highly variable. However, a common denominator is the presence of sparkling white wine and water, with the remaining being made up from a great variety of alcoholic drinks, sometimes mixed, but with an unwritten rule to preserve the red/orange color of the cocktail. Finally, a slice of lemon, orange or an olive and a few ice cubes are added.
Variations
* Spritz Bianco (''White Spritz'') made by white still wine and sparkling water, as the ancient
Spritzer
A spritzer is a tall, chilled drink, usually made with white wine and carbonated water or sparkling mineral water. Fermented simple syrup can be used instead of white wine to keep it sweet but flavor neutral.
Origin
''Spritzer'' is derived fro ...
, is mostly used in
Friuli Venezia Giulia
(man), it, Friulana (woman), it, Giuliano (man), it, Giuliana (woman)
, population_note =
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, demographics_type1 =
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, demographics1_t ...
* Istrian Aperol Spritz uses teranino (a liqueur made from
Teran wine from
Istria
Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; ist, Eîstria; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian, Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; formerly in Latin and in Ancient Greek) is the larges ...
, Croatia) instead of prosecco
* Italicus Spritz uses
Italicus
Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto is a bergamot rosolio (a type of aperitivo) manufactured in Italy. The liqueur uses bergamot from Calabria and citrons from Sicily, along with Italian flower varieties. The spirit was created by an Italian bartend ...
, a
Bergamot orange
''Citrus bergamia'', the bergamot orange (pronounced ), is a fragrant citrus fruit the size of an orange, with a yellow or green color similar to a lime, depending on ripeness.
Genetic research into the ancestral origins of extant citrus cultiv ...
-based liqueur
See also
*
Hugo (cocktail)
The Hugo is an alcoholic aperitif, originating in South Tyrol, but widespread in Triveneto, Austria, Switzerland and Germany, based of prosecco, elderflower syrup (or lemon balm syrup), seltzer (or sparkling water) and mint leaves.
Origins
As r ...
*
Negroni sbagliato
A Negroni is an Italian cocktail, made of one part gin, one part vermouth rosso (red, semi-sweet) and one part Campari, garnished with orange peel. It is considered an apéritif.
A traditionally made Negroni is stirred, not shaken; it is built ...
*
Pirlo (aperitivo)
Pirlo is an alcoholic drink, usually served as an apéritif, historically originated in the province of Brescia, in the North of Italy.
It is made with still white wine and Campari. Pirlo is served in a long stem glass with a typical balloon sha ...
*
List of cocktails
A cocktail is a mixed drink typically made with a distilled liquor (such as arrack, brandy, cachaça, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, or whiskey) as its base ingredient that is then mixed with other ingredients or garnishments. Sweetened liqueurs, w ...
*
Spritzer
A spritzer is a tall, chilled drink, usually made with white wine and carbonated water or sparkling mineral water. Fermented simple syrup can be used instead of white wine to keep it sweet but flavor neutral.
Origin
''Spritzer'' is derived fro ...
References
{{Authority control
Cuisine of Veneto
Cocktails with Prosecco
Cocktails with bitters
Italian alcoholic drinks
Cocktails with Aperol