Spritz: recipe and history of the Italian aperitif
Discover the true recipe and the story of Spritz, the most famous Italian aperitif! Find out how to prepare the perfect spritz for an unforgettable aperitif
LUCA CASELLA
Contributor
The origin is uncertain, the recipe is uncertain, the subject is Spritz.
We all like to think that Spritz is an Italian cocktail, but it seems that the merits go to the Austrians encamped in Italy towards the end of the 19th century. For the first time, they mixed a "spray" (Spritzen in German, hence the name) of water within the too strong wines of Alto Adige.
What we can certainly say is that it has now become the aperitif par excellence in our country, and beyond, even overseas they have come to question the quality of Spritz as a cocktail and as an aperitif.
Spritz is criticized by the New York Times, because it is often made in a coarse way with poor ingredients, too much ice and a disproportionately large slice of orange. It is defended by the Washington Post, because the fact that it is often made poorly does not mean that it is not a good cocktail: the brightly colored aperitif is always at the center of some discussion.
It is clear that the Spritz scene is now divided between those who prefer it, pass me the term, "classic" and popular Aperol Spritz and therefore with Aperol, and those who prefer the bitter taste of Campari, so the Campari Spritz; all the other versions are experimental and reserved for a niche of consumers eager for novelty.
The truth is that aperitif time is probably the most beautiful of the day, the one we can't wait for it to come to meet friends and forget the difficulties of the day.
That moment when all worries disappear and there is only the sunset before our eyes, a moment of poetry, a show that nature offers us every day without charging us a ticket, just pay attention to it.
Perhaps at the Campari home, someone paid attention to it in the right way, otherwise how do you explain the intense orange and red, characteristic not only of a magical sunset but also of the two versions of our favorite aperitif?
There is no doubt, the Spritz is the right drink to follow the sun that slowly greets us at the end of the day, to be able to continue dreaming of all that we abandoned with the first light of dawn.
In short, the Spritz, Aperol or Campari, is the Virgil of our evenings, the one who takes us by the hand and accompanies us at the beginning of a journey, the one who will always be by our side to comfort us and who once we arrive at dinner he will abandon us to the wise company of wine.
Here, associating Dante's saving guide with a simple Spritz could be an exaggeration, but I am convinced that both carry a pinch of happiness with them, and if you don't believe me, pay attention to it... I have never seen a sad person in my entire life order a Spritz.
Here the instructions for your Campari or Aperol Spritz recipe: you just need a wine glass with ice cubes, fill a third with Aperol or Campari, a third with sparkling water, soda water or club soda, the remaining part with prosecco or if you don't have it sparkling white wine, and finish it with an orange slice. Your refreshing cocktail is served for the pre dinner at aperitivo hour.
The Spritz journey was definitely a long ascent, reaching Milan in Piazza del Duomo and in the Galleria, where the Aperol Terrace and the Camparino enjoy the success achieved over the years.
Because it's true, sprinkling wine with sparkling water may have been an idea of the Austrians, but until the Italians added Bitter, there was very little out of the ordinary.
