Five ways to drink and order Spritz in Venice like a real Venetian. How Spritz was born and where and all the recipes of the most loved cocktails in Veneto.
When you go out for a aperitif in Venice, you can be sure that 90% of the company will ask for a "Spritz".
Then they will go into details, because to say spritz is to say everything and nothing: do you want it with wine or prosecco? Aperol, Campari or Select? And away with the preferences.
Where and how is Spritz born?
But where and how was this classic of Venetian (and not only Venetian) evenings born?
The story goes that the spritz was born during the Austro-Hungarian domination, because the Italian wines were too strong for the Austro-Hungarian troops.
These had therefore got into the habit of asking for the wine to come "sprayed”Of water and precisely spritzen is the verb“ to spray ”.
Originally the wine was the fundamental ingredient and still today many in Venice serve spritz with white wine, but it is very common to use prosecco instead of wine.
When you read the term wine in the recipes, know that it can be, and is very often, replaced by prosecco ..
A further evolution was the transition fromcarbonated water with selz which happened when the first siphons appeared for the soda first, and then the soda.
In the 20s, then, came the custom of adding "bitter”Or the various Campari, Select, Aperol and so on and so forth, add them to wine or prosecco, horrifying the purists of the time.
Ready to discover the 5 most popular variations of the Spritz in Venice?
Let's go!
Spritz with Select
Legend has it that this and only this is the true "Venetian spritz".
The Select was born, in fact, a Murano in 1920, island of the lagoon.
If you ask for a "Venetian spritz" they don't even have to ask you how you want it, in the Venetian adjective there is already everything.
Having made this necessary clarification, we come to the recipe that can vary, but I would say that in broad terms we can consider the following valid:
1/3 wine (or prosecco)
1/3 Select
1/3 soda
Spritz is served or in low glasses (rock) or in goblets and there is a "sine qua non" condition to be respected: the glass must be filled with ice before pouring anything.
Last touch: orange slice.
Spritz with Campari
It is a bit classic together with the one with Aperol which I will mention below.
When you order a spritz in Venice, the classic question is "Campari or Aperol?”, Also because if you wanted it with the Select, you would have asked for a“ Venetian spritz ”, right?
In any case, the spritz with Campari, with his own bright red, he does a lot of summer evenings outside the bacari to "ciacolare" (chat).
For the recipe, the "unwritten" rule provides:
rock glass or goblet
ice to pour first of all
1/3 white wine (or prosecco)
1/3 Campari
1/3 soda
And to garnish, orange pie.
Spritz with Aperol
The other great classic of Venetian evenings and beyond, of course.
Aperol gives Spritz a more orange tone, but it always remains a cornerstone of summer, of evenings that drag on into nights spent chatting, laughing and joking.
How do you prepare the perfect Spritz with Aperol?
1/3 of white wine (or prosecco)
1/3 Aperol
1/3 soda
Ice to always put first and the slice of orange
A note for Aperol: when you pour, jumbled up so that Aperol doesn't settle to the bottom.
Spritz with Cynar
If between red and orange you should see a glass from the brown complexion know that it is not coca-cola, much less coke and rum; you are facing the variation of the classic spritz: spritz with Cynar.
A bit more bitter and serious taste, I would say.
How is it prepared?
1/3 wine (or prosecco)
1/3 Cynar
1/3 soda
Rock glass, rarely glass with Spritz Cynar.
Always ice before pouring wine or other.
The only important variation, however, I would say is the garnish: in addition to the orange slice, someone also puts the lemon slice. Variations, in fact.
Hugo, the Spritz with elderberry
Spritz purists will put their hands to their ears or eyes and cry out in outrage, in treason.
Someone will accuse him of heresy.
But the spritz, regardless of these, continues to evolve and change and today, one of the latest variants sees it also take on a specific proper name: "Hugo"
How do you prepare "Hugo"?
Glass with ice first and this time glass, but rock glass is also allowed
1/3 prosecco
1/3 elderberry syrup
1/3 soda
And the gasket?
Slice of green apple and mint.
Well, now we are ready to embark on a tour of the bacari and venues of Venice with a little clearer ideas and ready to discover and taste the spritz and its variations.
Note: the spritz it has no high gradations, is around 11 °, but drink responsibly that in Venice there are no cars, but the canals.
A canal bath is not really recommended, especially since if you are drunk, climbing up the slippery steps will be a difficult task.
