The Venetian Spritz

By Toby Cecchini

Published September 8, 2009

  • Frances Janisch
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
2 minutes
Rating
4(211)
Comments
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This drink is sweet, bitter, citrusy and sparkling — even slightly salty — but with minimal punch. It is a graceful way to begin an evening, and a thing of perfection on a sultry afternoon. The spritz can be made several ways, but the best and most common is simply a glass of prosecco with two or three ice cubes and a dash of sparkling water, topped with Aperol, a twist of lemon or slice of orange and — importantly and strangely — one green olive. The drink also can be made with white wine and sparkling water, and Campari or Cynar turn up in some varieties, but the spritz a l’Aperol is the benchmark, and handily trumps the others.

Featured in: Case Study | Toasting the Venetian Spritz

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Ingredients

  • 4 ounces prosecco

  • Sparkling water

  • 1 ½ to 2 ounces Aperol

  • Orange

  • Lemon

  • 1 green olive

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a rocks glass over three or four ice cubes, pour the prosecco, a dash of sparkling water and the Aperol, being sure to follow that order lest the Aperol sink to the bottom without mixing. Garnish with a slice of orange, a twist of lemon (or both) and an olive.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
211 user ratings
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Comments

Lynn KK

I tried it with Campari. Very good. I added two olives and bit of olive brine to make it "dirty." Quite tasty.

Gen

Aperol is somewhat sweeter than Campari. I like both!

Shaun

Brings me straight back to afternoons in Venice! Delicious!

Elizabeth Oliver

Sometimes I don’t want a drink but I want the ritual of a drink! Two or three ounces of Aperol with sparkling water and a slice of orange over ice in a pretty goblet does the trick! :)

Swazi

I like Aperol spritzes, but I thought a true Venetian spritz uses Select. It's a lot like Campari, including being very red, but with less alcohol and a bit more sweetness. The spritzes I drank (and were for sale everywhere) in Venice some years ago were definitely not made with Aperol - they were bright red and very bitter - so they must have involved something like Select or Campari. (Cynar is bitter like Campari, but is brown.)

Valeria

The real Venetian Spritz is made with Select not Aperol

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