Completely Austrian and absolutely Venetian at the same time, the Spritz cocktail was born in the 19th century.

But its recipe has evolved greatly over time and the Spritz we are tasting today is very different from the original one.

Today, we are talking about a cocktail synonymous with summer, the Spritz.

The object of a comeback for several years, the alcoholic elixir with the taste of bitter orange conceals a more complex story than it seems, which plays out between Italy and Austria, and which our chronicler Olivier Poels tells us, in Historically yours.

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It is the controversial debate that animates the terraces every summer: is the Spritz Italian or Austrian?

In a way, the answer is "both".

Because the Spritz was born in Venice but from the spirit of the Austrians.

You should know that in the 19th century, the Austrians occupied the city.

The latter had a little doubt about the quality of the local wines and used to lengthen them with sparkling water.

Or rather, in their own words, "sprinkle" Italian wine with soda water.

Hence the name "Spritz", which comes from an expression which means "sprinkle" in German, the official language of Austria.

Sparkling water gradually replaced by sparkling wine

But since its inception, the recipe has evolved steadily.

So much so that today, the Spritz is no longer wine that is extended with water.

In the 20th century, in 1920 precisely, the pearl arrived: the Aperol.

This alcohol, which is used in the preparation of various cocktails, is composed of bitter oranges, gentian and rhubarb.

Its exact recipe remains secret but its taste is well known, both bitter and a little sweet.

In restaurants, we will gradually mix this Aperol with sparkling water to replace wine.

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But we are also going to add the famous prosecco to this new drink.

Which is not entirely a coincidence, this Italian sparkling wine being produced in the region of Venice.

Dosage side, the current recipe is dosed at one third of Aperol, two thirds of prosecco, and a small glass of sparkling water.

The Aperol can possibly be replaced by Campari, for even more bitterness.

Add a slice of bitter orange and you have the cocktail as it is drunk today in Venice and around the world.

The recent return to favor of the Spritz is essentially due to a huge communication campaign by Aperol, after the takeover of the brand by Campari.

And this success has also boosted sales and production of prosecco, which has now become the most produced sparkling wine in the world.

The Spritz recipe

  • Ingredients

Aperol or Campari

Prosecco

Sparkling water

bitter orange

  • recipe

1.

Place the ice cubes in a stemmed glass

2.

Pour in 2cl of Aperol or Campari

3.

Pour 3 cl of prosecco

4.

Add a dash of sparkling water

5.

Decorate the glass with a slice of bitter orange