The Spritz

SPRITZ is the classic Venetian aperitif, it’s a mix of white wine, Aperol (sweeter) or Bitter Campari and Select (bitterer) and a squirt of seltz or Sparkling mineral water.

Obviously there are many schools of thought about the better ingredient and the portions of the mix: for this reason it is served in various different ways. SPRITZ is not a Venetian invention as you may think, it was already in use during the Austro-Hungarian administration in Veneto, Friuli and the Balkans. Originally it was a mix of water and Wine because the Austrian found the Italian Wine too strong.

Venetians, on the contrary, found that the drink was lacking character so they added liqueurs: thus the Venetian SPRITZ was born and the idea was exported by Venetian themselves. Often its recipe is taught to bartenders all around the world, so it is not rare to find a bar in the middle of nothing that knows how to prepare it! This is because a Venetian on vacation taught them how to do it so he could have his favourite drink even far from home. You know habits are hard to die…!

SPRITZ for the majority of the Venetians is an unfailing ritual, some bars serve it with olives, and all sort of snacks giving it the same importance that most international cocktails as Negroni or Americano deserve.

The typical recipe is:
1/5 Aperol (Select or Bitter)
3/5 White Wine
1/5 Sparkling water or seltz
A peel of lemon or orange, green olive and salted snacks.

In case, white wine can be substituted by sparkling wine (prosecco) and the portions of liquor are at you own taste.
Be careful!! Do not exceed with water, here in Venice we say that water rots the wooden piles! And for wooden piles we mean those that are planted on canals to tie up boats.