How to Make a Spritz Cocktail with 4 Recipes to Start

If your spring is anything like ours here in Kentucky, it’s a month of weather whiplash. You need both sunscreen and mittens, sandals and snow boots to feel prepared for the sun-today-snow-tomorrow. It’s a special kind of "March madness," enough to make any self-respecting Southerner want to pour a drink, especially one that transports you to the Italian coast.

Enter the spritz. Tradition has it the name came from neighboring Austrians who vacationed across the border in Italy and lightened up the local wine with sparkling water to make it even more refreshing. “Spritz” does mean “a splash” in German, and we’re here with a guide to help you learn the art of crafting a few delicious spritz recipes that will hopefully help you make a splash at your next dinner party or happy hour with friends.
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Aperol Spritz

If you’ve never tasted an Aperol Spritz, it’s a sunset-hued vacation in a glass. And trust us — every bartender in town will know how to whip up this classic…it’s been around since the roaring ’20s. If you’re new to Aperol, even our best efforts at a description don’t do justice to its sweet yet bitter citrus flavor, with hints of herbs, tart rhubarb, and vanilla. You just have to try it. Plus, it’s fun. Aperol may be the same color as orange Fanta, but it has a fancy pedigree. Since 1919, Aperol has been a go-to Italian aperitif (no need to Google, aperitif just means an alcoholic drink designed to stimulate your appetite before a meal…like an appetizer you can sip).

Now for the rest of the Aperol Spritz ingredients: Add Prosecco (like champagne, but Italian, just as delicious, and cheaper). A splash of club soda. You have an Aperol Spritz. Bubbly. Crisp. A little tart and a lot tasty. It’s synonymous with the Italian Riviera, warm evenings in Rome, lying poolside in Portofino, and now — your own back patio. Perfect for a pick-me-up.

Aperol Spritz Recipe

3 oz Aperol
3 oz Prosecco
1 oz (or a splash) of club soda

Fill a wine glass with ice. Pour in your Aperol, Prosecco, and top with the club soda. Pop a straw (classic Italian move) and a slice of orange for garnish if you feel so inclined.

Hugo Spritz

If the Aperol Spritz is akin to sipping on summer, the Hugo Spritz is a lightly floral, more delicate springtime cousin. The Hugo Spritz is elegant without trying too hard — the perfect cocktail for a bridal shower, and an easy recipe for a Derby party or other springtime soiree. If you haven’t tried elderflower liqueur before, the subtly sweet notes give a honeysuckle nudge to this lovely drink.

Hugo Spritz Recipe

½ oz Elderflower liqueur
4 oz Prosecco
1 oz soda water or seltzer
lime slice
mint sprig

Add the liqueur and the mint sprig.
Gently tap the mint sprig with the handle of a spoon or a muddler just to bring out the mint flavor.
Add ice and pour in the Prosecco and soda water.
Stir briefly, and add your lime.

White Wine Spritzer

10 points if you just noticed we wrote “white wine spritzer” not “white wine spritz”. So, what’s the difference between a spritz and a spritzer? A spritz can be any cocktail with three or more ingredients — but there must be a liqueur, Prosecco, and club soda or soda water. A spritzer is specifically wine and club soda…and white wine spritzers are the most common. This wine spritzer recipe is endlessly adaptable, so get creative!

White Wine Spritzer Recipe

3 oz white wine (choose your favorite, we like a sweet white wine like Sauvignon Blanc)
3 oz club soda
Optional garnishes for fun and flavor: slice of lemon, sprig of mint or rosemary, a peel of grapefruit, or fresh blackberries. Fill a wine glass with ice. Pour the wine and top with the club soda.

Sleeping Beauty Spritzer Mocktail

This delicious mocktail is supposed to be a great sleep aid, thanks to the natural melatonin-increasing effect of tart cherry. We’ll drink to sweet dreams!

1 part tart cherry juice

1 part seltzer or club soda Mix and stir.

Now, throw on a pair of sunglasses and settle in for a relaxing aperitif to kick those gray-weather blues to the curb…all of us at Cox’s & Evergreen will be doing the same. Cheers!