The spritz evolves from Italian aperitif to global cocktail

A glowing sea of bright orange and red cocktails has become a common sight in bars and restaurants across Europe and beyond as the Italian-born spritz continues to find new fans.

This wine-based cocktail was served as an aperitif in northeast Italy for decades, and drunk with cicchetti (Venetian tapas) across the neighborhood bars of Venice. The modern spritz consists of prosecco, digestive bitters and soda water.

It originates in the mid-19th century, in the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It’s believed that some Austrians found Italian wines too heavy, so would ask the bartender for a “spritzen” (splash) of soda water to dilute them. That became the first spritz recipe.

The bitters came later. Sweeter-tasting orange Aperol was created in 1919 in Padua, Italy. The deep-red bitter digestif Select followed in 1920, from the Castello district of Venice. These liquors were made with a combination of botanicals.

Italian aperitif