Story by Amy Spanton. Photography by Christopher Pearce.
In recent years, the Spritz has become a category unto itself. But what is a Spritz? And why do we love them so goddamn much? Well we referred to the Spritz bible, Spritz, Italy’s Most Iconic Aperitivo Cocktail by Talia Baiocchi & Leslie Pariseau to get their definition of the spritz. And here’s what they have to say:
FIRST:
A spritz is always effervescent. Whether its bubble is acquired through soda water, prosecco, some other sparkling wine, or a flavored soda, the spritz would not be a spritz without buoyancy.
SECOND:
A spritz is low in alcohol, which, for our purposes, means that it should contain no more than one ounce of strong spirits (preferably less). This is a drink that is consumed when the day is waning and the night is young.
THIRD:
A spritz is a pre-dinner drink, meant to be consumed in that liminal hour between work and play. It should be bitter as a means to open the stomach for a meal.”
Treuse and Hospitality
30 ml pineapple-infused yellow Chartreuse
10ml fermented apple vinegar
10ml cream sherry
90ml sparkling wine
Build in a highball and top with sparkling wine and dehydrated pineapples.
Burrow Bar, Sydney
Rib Tickler
2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
¾ oz Suze
½ oz elderflower liqueur
½ oz fresh lemon juice
¼ oz simple syrup
Top With Fever Tree Soda Water
Pour the vermouth, Suze, elderflower, lemon juice,
and simple syrup in a wine glass over ice.
Top with soda water and add the half-wheel grapefruit garnish
Alex Day Nitecap, New York City, NY
Adapted from the book Spritz, Italy’s Most Iconic Aperitivo Cocktail
by Talia Baiocchi & Leslie Pariseau
Rosa Rosa Ro-oo-sa Spritz
‘This drink was so good that a customer got it tattooed on himself.
So we’ve made it in a spritz format and it’s delicious.’
20ml vodka
20ml Tio Pepe
5ml Rinquinquin Peche
20ml Cocchi rosa
Fever Tree soda water
Tall collins glass, build and
top with soda water and
garnish with fresh rosemary.
Burrow Bar, Sydney
Breezy Bananas
20ml Appleton Estate Signature Rum
20ml Kahunas Mix*
30ml pineapple juice
1 dash of absinthe
50ml prosecco
Bar spoon of banana jam
mint sprig
*Kahunas Mix: A blend of grapefruit juice and zest,
lime zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and acids.
Stir banana jam with rum in base of the shaker until it dissolves,
add all other ingredients except prosecco and shake.
Fine strain into wine glass,
top up with prosecco, add ice and garnish with mint sprig.
Ashley Miller, Blue Kahunas, Newcastle
Aperol Spritz
90ml Prosecco
60ml Aperol
30ml good quality soda water
In a large wine glass (380-420ml in size) add Prosecco,
then Aperol and finally your soda.
Then you add your ice. Big chunky ice.
It should be a full glass with no sad
bits of ice floating in the top.
Stir and garnish with a wedge of orange.
