Spritz Veneziano

Try the Spritz Veneziano, a sparkling and refreshing Italian cocktail! It combines Prosecco with Italian bitters and club soda.

Here’s a classic and chic Italian cocktail that everyone should know: the Spritz Veneziano! When prepared with Aperol, it is popularly known in the United States by a different name: Aperol Spritz! Prepare this refreshing cocktail the classic Italian way and it’s pure perfection: sparkling and slightly sweet, with a bitter finish. Garnishing with olives brings a salty contrast to the sweet bubbles. It’s ideal for any time of year: and one of our most popular classic cocktails.

What is a Spritz Veneziano?

The Venetian splashes (“Venetian spritz”) is an Italian aperitif that contains an Italian bitter liqueur or amaro with Prosecco and mineral water. Invented in Italy in the 19th century, the spritz is a generations-old concept of diluting wine with water. The Spritz Veneziano got its current form in the 1920s when it contained Select liqueur. Today it’s often made with Aperol, making it the Aperol Spritz: but you can make it with any type of Italian amaro.

Why is the drink so ubiquitous today? The Aperol Spritz became very popular in the United States in the early 2000s when the Campari Group acquired Aperol and began marketing the drink worldwide. The International Bartender’s Association (IBA) definition of beverages uses Aperol, which we used here. The Spritz Veneziano contains the following ingredients in a 3-2-1 ratio:

• aperole, Campari, early or other Amaro
• Prosecco
• Carbonated water (aka club soda)

Find out more about Aperol

If you’re not already an Aperol fan, now is the time to get to know each other. Aperol is an Italian bitter (Amaro) with a bright orange color. It is an aperitif, an appetizing drink before a meal. The original aperitif, invented in Italy in the 1860s, was Campari, a more bitter red amaro. Many have since sprung up, with each restaurant offering its own unique entree. Aperol appeared in 1919 and was taken over by the Campari company in the 1990s.

Aperol has a slightly sweet, bitter and balanced taste with herbal and citrus notes. It has a fairly low alcohol content (22 proof or 11% ABV). Its taste is much more accessible than the ultra-bitter Campari, which can polarize.

More Aperol cocktails? Try the Naked and Famous paper airplane or this sweet and tangy Aperol cocktail.

Other Italian Amari: Campari, Cynar and more

You can make a Spritz Veneziano with any type of amaro you like, making it essentially an amaro spritz. It has a different flavor with each type of amaro. Here are some Italian Amari selections that are great in this drink:

• Campari: Very bitter and bright red, it is the most famous of all Italian Amari
• Early: bittersweet, with notes of caramel, toffee and cinnamon and a bitter grassy finish
• amaro averna: Spicy and herbaceous, with notes of caramel, aniseed, citrus and honey
• Amaro Montenegro: bittersweet with a unique rose petal finish
• Bitter Nonino: bitter and sweet, with notes of orange, honey, vanilla, liquorice, allspice, mango, pepper and cocoa

Tips for a good Spritz Veneziano

A Spritz Veneziano is very easy to prepare: you can simply build it directly into the glass! Here are some tips for making a superior version of this drink:

• Use a quality Prosecco! The key to a good spritz: use a good sparkling wine! Grab a bottle of mid-priced prosecco or dry-flavored champagne. You don’t want to be too cute.
• Make sure the Amaro and Prosecco are chilled. Chill both alcohols as much as possible to minimize dilution.
• Squeeze an orange! Bring in more citrus notes by squeezing the orange slice right into the drink.
• Add an olive. The Original Spritz Veneziano was topped with an olive (a la Martini). It sounds strange, but the brackish and salty pop goes well with the sweet, bitter, and tingly notes. Attempt!

More Spritz recipes

At home we love good splashes especially in summer! Here are some other spritz recipes to try: