The term “Spritz” is quite general. Fundamentally, it’s a cocktail made with sparkling wine, herbal, bitter, or sweet ingredients, and a dash of soda. While an olive garnish is a visual delight and a salty nibble, a citrus slice or peel is the norm for garnishes.
The spritz gained popularity in the United States in the 2010s and again in the 2020s during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been popular in Italy since its invention in the 1950s. The success of the drink in America is primarily due to the brunch crowd, but it was first popular in Italy during the aperitivo hour, a late-afternoon ritual that included spritzes and light nibbles.
Spritz: Italy’s Most Iconic Aperitivo Cocktail, With Recipes by Talia Baiocchi and Leslie Pariseau (Ten Speed Press, 2016) is a fantastic starting point for anyone interested in making their own aperitivo hour.
Here are a few ready-to-drink options to help you stay hydrated during the sweltering August days. Seek them out at carefully chosen wine stores.
Gruet Le Fleuriste lemon spritz with elderflower.Despite having French roots, this sparkling wine company makes its bubbles in New Mexico using a traditional process. Gruet Winery is a bigger manufacturing company that has maintained a high level of quality over the years, and its new range of premade bottled spritzes is no exception.
With sparkling wine, elderflower, and mint as essential ingredients, Le Fleuriste is a great substitute for creating a Hugo spritz from scratch. In contrast to lemon and mint, which are not always pleasant and natural-tasting, it is mildly sweet.
For backyard wedding celebrations, holiday gatherings, or lazy Sundays when you just need the willpower to pop and pour, this is a terrific product to have on hand.
Mommenpop spritz-pop in blood orange.In the modern California wine scene, Samantha Sheehan stands out for her Mommenpop brand of all-natural wine-based citrus aperitifs, but she also produces beautiful wines under her Poe and Ultraviolet labels.
These drinks are designed to be savored as a spritz, on their own with ice, or in a sophisticated cocktail. Sheehan released this pre-bottled version of her blood orange aperitif because the latter works so well. The word “juicy” best describes this drink; it’s fruity, flowery, and easy to consume, especially considering its modest alcohol content of 7% by volume.
