Looking for a refreshing, bubbly drink that’s light and flavourful? Meet the Amaro Spritz! It’s the hottest new drink that’s also the oldest drink.
The spritz was invented in Italy back in the 1800s as a way to water down wine by mixing in water, believe it or not. It wasn’t until the 1950s that the Aperol Spritz took the form it has today – a social media phenomenon. It’s a cocktail on the list of International Bartender Association’s official cocktails, meaning that there’s an “official” definition. But you don’t need Aperol to make a spritz.
The Amaro spritz uses any type of amaro in place of the Aperol: which itself is an amaro. The classic spritz works with any Italian bitter – just follow the classic spritz ratio of 3-2-1, present in all spritzes, from Aperol to this Amaro inspired riff.
The basic idea is 3 parts sparkling wine, 2 parts liqueur, 1 part soda water. Once you’ve memorized this ratio, you can use it to make endless variations of spritzes.
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces Amaro (try Montenegro or Venti), chilled
- 3 ounces Prosecco or other sparkling wine, chilled
- 1 ounce soda water
- Clear Ice
- For the garnish: lemon wedge or sliced oranges, straw is optional
Method:
- Pour sparkling wine/Prosecco into your glass
- Add your ice*
- Add the amaro to your glass and stir. Top with soda water.
- Squeeze in the lemon wedge or add orange slices and stir gently, then serve. Serve with a straw to minimize dilution.
*Ice is added after you pour Sparkling wine so that the bubbles are not diluted from pouring over ice.
For a slightly different, more flavourful drink, try 2 parts amaro and 4 parts sparkling wine and don’t add in any soda water. Pour into a wine glass, add ice and garnish with an orange slice.
