A Guide To The Summer Spritz (and We Don’t Just Mean Aperol)
Turns out, the summer appendage of London’s 20-somethings, the Aperol Spritz, has been pronounced incorrectly in beer gardens, pop-ups and festivals over the past few years.
If you want to look the business when ordering your next A.S. (which, ironically looks like a grown-up Irn-Bru) get your pronunciation right. It’s actually “spriss”. Nail it and you can join the other smug drinkers saying Moët (you do pronounce the T) and Gewürztraminer (geh – vairtz – trah – mee – ner, if you’re interested).
English lessons aside, there is so much more to spritzes than the orange elixir us Brits have come to know and love, from the traditional white wine based types to the more bitter Campari-style tipples and the currently trending, gin spritz.
Spritzers are traditionally a white wine based aperitif cocktail hailing from Northern Italy (Venetians have been on the Aperol for decades), thanks to the area’s unique wines, from Pino Grigio to Soave and of course Prosecco. And if you’re curious to know where the term “spritz” (sorry, “spriss”) comes from, it’s from the German verb Spritzen, meaning to spray or splash.
Anyway, we want to know more. So we have enlisted some of the experts, Beppe Ronco, Master Distiller and Winemaker at Hotel STARLINO, who are known for their spritzes and Oliver Morris, Global Brand Ambassador for The Cotswolds Distillery who are championing the perfect sundowner drink here in the UK.
Here’s everything you didn’t know about summer’s most satisfying drink…
Follow the 3-2-1 rule
As a rule of thumb the 3-2-1 rule is a good guide to making the perfect spritz. Three parts sparkling wine, two parts bitter liqueur and one part soda.
-Beppe Ronco, Master Distiller and Winemaker at Torino Distillati for Hotel STARLINO
It’s not all about white wine
In Italy, the spritz varies from region to region but they will tend to use traditional white wines unique to the area such as Pino Grigio, Soave and Prosecco, but Aperol and other popular bitters are just as good, such as Campari, Gran Classico or Cynar.
-Oliver Morris, Global Brand Ambassador for The Cotswolds Distillery
We’re seeing a huge resurgence of interest in Vermouths and Aperitivos. That’s why we created the STARLINO Rosé, as it works really well in a spritz. Try it with 1 part STARLINO Rosé, 3 parts Prosecco and 1 part soda.
-Beppe Ronco
Gin is the new Aperol
The Gin Spritz is on the rise, as are whisky-based spritzes. With so many different flavoured gins around bartenders are able to create cocktails with their own personality.
I love to make a really simple summer cocktail with the bitter liqueurs being replaced by gin – our Cotswolds No.1 Wildflower Gin is ideal thanks to its wildflower botanicals of lavender, cornflowers and rhubarb.
-Oliver Morris
Don’t forget to garnish
The traditional spritz is garnished with a slice of orange but we love to play around with the flavours that are in the liquid – often a slice of grapefruit works well.
-Beppe Ronco
They are best served chilled
The spritz is a hot-weather friendly cocktail and should always be served cold so ice is key. Nugget cut ice cubes sit really well in a spritz.
-Oliver Morris
Choose your glass
The type of glass you use is really a personal preference, some people advocate using a rocks glass, some a large bowled wine glass. I prefer to go halfway using a stemless wine glass that’s roomy enough for plenty of ice and a citrus slice.
-Oliver Morris
Go premium with your splash
I recommend Fever Tree, Double Dutch and Fentimans to top up your spritz.
-Oliver Morris
Serve between 5pm and 7pm
Traditionally the spritz is served as an Aperitivo which is the Italian version of happy hour (5pm-7pm). It’s a very important tradition for Italians and is always served with small snacks alongside it, such as olives, breadsticks and crisps.
-Beppe Ronco
Know where does spritzes well
The Holborn Dining Room at The Rosewood Hotel, Claridge’s and The Savoy all do a really decent spritz.
-Oliver Morris
Try these easy spritz recipes at home
Cotswolds Wildflower Spritz
Ingredients:
50ml Cotswolds No.1 Wildflower Gin
Premium Tonic Water
Method:
Fill a copa glass with ice and pour over Cotswolds No. 1 Wildflower gin and your favourite tonic. Garnish with a slice of orange.
Cotswolds No.1 Wildflower Gin is now available to buy from
www.cotswoldsdistillery.com
RRP: £34.95
STARLINO Rosé Spritz
Ingredients:
1 Part STARLINO Rosé
1 Part Sparkling Wine
1 Part Soda
Method:
Add ice to a long stem glass followed by 1 Part STARLINO Rosé. Top up with 1 Part Sparkling Wine and 1 Part Soda and garnish with a slice of grapefruit.
STARLINO Rosé is available to buy from
www.amazon.co.uk
RRP: £23
