Skip to main content

Enjoy a little sparkle with a refreshing spritz

Celebrate National Spritz Day with a variation on this beloved drink

Aperol spritz cocktail
Goskova Tatiana / Shutterstock

Today is National Spritz Day, but it’s not as if you need any encouragement to enjoy a spritz. These bubbly, easy to drink cocktails are a staple of summer menus across the world, and they combine light, refreshing a drinking experience with a backbone of strong, interesting flavors. While technically a spritz refers to a drink made with sparkling wine and water, the definition has now expanded to cover virtually any drink which is refreshing and bubbly.

To begin with the classic, you surely know the ubiquitous Aperol Spritz already, though there are some refinements you might want to try out to up your spritz game. I am a fan of using a larger ratio of Aperol than many bars do, to make a stronger, bolder drink. When in doubt, the 3-2-1 ratio of prosecco to Aperol to sparkling water will never steer you wrong. I’m also a big fan of adding a more salty, interesting note to the drink by using an olive as a garnish.

Recommended Videos

I’m also a fan of a Campari Spritz, the more bitter, robust cousin of the Aperol Spritz. It’s made in exactly the same way, but using darker red Campari instead of the brighter orange Aperol. It’s a more intense drink for those who love their bitter flavors.

Further spritz options

Le Moné

There are other spritzes out there for you to try though. One trendy option this summer has been the lemon spritz, using either limoncello or a lemon-based aperitif like Le Moné. You just combine equal parts of your lemon drink of choice with prosecco over ice and garnish with a green grape.

Another option is to use different types of amaro, like the artichoke-based Cynar, the bold Lo-Fi Gentian Amaro, or the sweet, herbal Montenegro.

Have a dig through the back of your home bar and see what options you can find, as the template of amaro or aperitif plus sparkling wine plus water lends itself to endless possibilities.

Georgina Torbet
Georgina Torbet is a cocktail enthusiast based in Berlin, with an ever-growing gin collection and a love for trying out new…
Everyone will love this caramelized apple bourbon Old Fashioned
Inject your Old Fashioned with some zazz using a flavored syrup
Apple Jack cocktail

With National Whiskey Day falling today, we're celebrating all things whiskey -- including, of course, everyone's favorite whiskey cocktail: the Old Fashioned. For a simple combination of whiskey, bitters, and simple syrup, this drink holds surprising complexity and depth, which is surely why it has remained popular over the decades.

And while we're great advocates of the classic Old Fashioned as an ideal way to enjoy your whiskeys, you should also feel free to experiment. This recipe, from Bridget Albert, Senior Director of External Communications & Host of the Served Up Podcast at Southern Glazer's, features a crowd-pleasing combination of bourbon and caramel apple.
Caramelized Apple Old Fashioned
Ingredients:

Read more
Mix up a cocktail with your smokey Scotches with these recipes
Smoke and fruit make for an irresistible combination
Misty Isle Sour

Scotch is known for its bold, smokey flavors which can make it a challenge to mix with. You want to show off the nuances of the spirit and not cover them up with too many other ingredients, but you also need to work careful to balance those big flavors. But it can be done!

These recipes from Isle of Skye embrace the smokey character of Scotch to create complex and intriguing drinks. The first is a sour, which is a great format for practically any spirit.

Read more
Celebrate a new recognized whiskey style with cocktails for American Single Malts
Now an officially recognized category, here are recipes for this style
“1” Old Fashioned

When you hear "single malt," your mind likely goes straight to Scotches -- and certainly, Scotland has been producing some of the best known single malt whiskeys for hundreds of years. But a growing interest in whiskey in the US has kicked off a wave of American distilleries producing their own American Single Malts, which were recently ratified into a category of their own by the US government's Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau.

To celebrate the recognition of this category, American single malt producer Balcones crafted their own cocktail -- called, of course, Sweet Ratification. It's a pecan-packed nutty taken on the Old Fashioned, and along with a couple of other cocktail suggestions, these are the perfect way to cheer on this new and emerging whiskey style for National Whiskey Day.
Sweet Ratification

Read more