Build a Perfect Spritz With Just Two Ingredients and a Garnish

Anyone who has gone to brunch or a rooftop happy hour recently can tell you that the spritz is still on top of the cocktail world. The classic Italian cocktail has become a favorite for warm-weather sipping, and its popularity shows no signs of slowing. 

To most Americans, the bright orange Aperol Spritz is the most familiar expression of this category of cocktails. It’s colorful, refreshing, and built on a balanced, winning combination of three parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol, and one part sparkling water. It’s a blueprint that has become the standard for other spritzes as well.

“The citrus-forward, bittersweet qualities of the liqueur are tempered perfectly with a majority of sparkling wine, which will lend some dryness to the drink, as well as effervescence,” explains Prairie Rose, senior drinks editor at Food & Wine. “The splash of soda makes this formula especially refreshing, and a lower-ABV cocktail, exactly what you want during aperitivo hour.”

Even though this iconic spritz formula works perfectly in this context, the world of spritzes is full of variation.

On Friday and Saturday during this weekend’s Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Rose will be hosting the seminar “Putting on the Spritz: A Hands-On Cocktail Class”. For this seminar, Rose will show how to tweak the classic spritz formula to build simple two-ingredient spritzes that still showcase bold and refreshing flavors. 

There are a few factors to keep in mind when straying from the classic 3-2-1 spritz formula.  “When making a two-ingredient spritz, it’s important to keep in mind how the spirit and mixer will balance and complement one another, like a simple highball,” says Rose. For the drinks in this seminar, Rose recommends a ratio of two ounces of liqueur balanced with four to six ounces of sparkling mixer.

To start, Rose will be teaching how to make a spritz using Vigie Limoncello as the base, mixed with club soda to lengthen the liqueur and add effervescence. “Limoncello and club soda work beautifully as a light, crisp midday refresher,” Rose says. “Often, garnishes are the third ingredient. I love to add a few mint sprigs to add dimension.”

Another spritz variation Rose is sharing at the seminar uses Brucato Amaro’s Orchards expression, which is made with California apricots, walnuts, citrus, and spices. “We’re combining that with Fever Tree grapefruit soda, which is created to be a mixer, a lovely balance of sweet, tart, and refreshing,” says Rose. “When both ingredients are complex, you don’t need another ingredient in the mix.” To double down on the bittersweet citrus notes, this spritz is garnished with a grapefruit wedge. 

“The most traditional spritz we’re making uses Cappelletti Aperitivo, which shares similar qualities with Campari and Aperol but is less sweet, uses natural colors, and is likely the oldest style of the classic red bitter still in production,” says Rose. For this variation, Rose mixes the wine-based Cappelletti with Mionetto Prosecco and garnishes it with an orange peel. 

With just a few tweaks, the classic spritz formula proves endlessly adaptable. The key to a great spritz lies in understanding how to balance sweetness, bitterness, acidity, and effervescence. Once the interplay of just two or three ingredients is understood, the possibilities are nearly limitless, proof that the spritz isn’t just a trend, but a flexible framework for fresh and flavorful cocktails.