Spritz
Spritz is an Italian cocktail made with prosecco, Aperol or Campari, and soda water. It is refreshing, light, and perfect for any occasion.
Spritz recipe
- 9 cl Prosecco
- 6 cl Select/Aperol/Campari/Cynar
- Splash of soda water
Build all ingredients into a wine glass filled with ice. Stir gently.
Building a classic Spritz over ice
- Fill a chilled white wine glass generously with fresh ice. Plenty of ice is important here: it keeps the drink brisk and slows dilution so the bubbles stay lively.
- Pour in the sparkling wine first, aiming down the inside of the glass to preserve carbonation. A dry, bright Prosecco is the usual choice and gives the drink its light, orchard-fruit backbone.
- Add your bitter aperitivo next. Select gives a more traditional Venetian feel, Aperol makes it softer and orange-forward, Campari pushes it more bitter and vivid, and Cynar adds a darker herbal note.
- Top with a small splash of soda water rather than a heavy pour. The goal is lift and freshness, not to wash out the balance between wine and bitters.
- Stir gently once or twice with a bar spoon. You want the ingredients combined without knocking too much fizz out of the drink.
- Serve immediately while cold and sparkling. If you like, a slice of orange or a green olive can reinforce the style of aperitivo you chose.
What a Spritz tastes like
A Spritz is all about contrast: bubbly, lightly sweet, distinctly bitter, and very refreshing. The sparkling wine keeps it crisp, while the aperitivo brings citrus peel, herbs, and a softly bitter finish. With Aperol it reads easygoing and sunny; with Campari it becomes sharper and more adult; with Select it lands somewhere in between, with a classic Venetian aperitif character.
Venetian roots and modern fame
The Spritz is most closely associated with Venice and the wider Veneto region. Its deeper origin is a little fuzzy, but the most credible story traces the name to the German spritzen, referring to adding a splash of water to local wine during the Habsburg era. Over time, sparkling wine and Italian bitter aperitivi turned that simple habit into the modern cocktail now seen everywhere from canal-side bars to summer terraces worldwide.
Best way to serve it
This drink works best as a pre-dinner aperitif alongside salty snacks, olives, crisps, or light seafood. Use lots of ice, serve it very cold, and don’t over-stir. If making one for someone new to bitter drinks, choose Aperol or use a slightly smaller measure of the bitter component at first.
A no-alcohol Spritz-style alternative
For a zero-proof version, build the drink with alcohol-free sparkling wine, a non-alcoholic Italian-style bitter aperitif, and soda over ice. Keep the same structure and garnish with orange. You’ll get the same bubbly, bittersweet aperitivo vibe without the alcohol.