Colored, fresh, not excessively high in alcohol, Spritz is the king of Italian aperitivo. Making it more and more on bar menus across the globe. It’s origin goes back to the late 700’s when the Austro-Hungarian Empire took over northern Italy – Austiran soldiers were not accustomed to drinking wine, found it too strong and started diluting it with water. The name in fact derives from the German word ‘spritzen’ meaning spray or splash. If you travel to the far north east to the region Friuli Venezia Giulia, this is what you will get when ordering a Spritz – white wine and sparkling water. Simple and light, the perfect summer refreshing fix.
Spritz as we know it today with the addition of a bitter component originated later on in the Veneto region, with many variations. All across north east Italy many areas claim their own recipe to be the original. In the city of Padova it’s made with the addition of Aperol and in Venice with a bitter called Select. The Campari version came later.
Padova recipe:
6 cl prosecco
4 cl Aperol
a splash of soda water
Venice recipe:
1/3 white sparkling wine
1/3 bitter (Select)
1/3 sparkling water
Spring spritz
This recipe takes inspiration from original simplicity of this drink, celebrating spring by adding a touch of color from the garden.
Recipe
½ white wine
½ sparkling water or soda water
Mint and wisteria ice cubes
For the ice cubes, place mint and wisteria (any herb and edible flower work), in the ice cube moulds, cover with water and place in the freezer for a few hours or until hard. Fill a wine glass with the ice cubes, pour the wine and finish with a splash of sparkling water. So simple yet so special!
Cin cin!
