The Definitive Guide To Enjoying A Venetian Spritz

In recent years the Aperol spritz has gone from a little-known Italian drink to a worldwide phenomenon. This is partly thanks to excellent marketing and also because when made correctly, it is a fantastic cocktail. Aperol is only one of many spritz bases, and with there being many more versions of the spritz available in Venice where the drink originated from, here’s how to best enjoy a true Venetian spritz.

The History of the Spritz

Enjoying a great spritz is not just about the taste. Understanding where the cocktail started helps us understand how to make an excellent version – a good spritz is all about balance.

As with so many culinary traditions in Italy, we’re going to start with the ancient Romans. In ancient times, the wine being produced was much stronger than what we drink today. Both the alcohol volume and taste were much more intense so wine was watered down when being served. The richer you were, the less water was added, but the concept of mixing water and wine was completely normal.

Over the centuries, wine started to be made in a way that we would be familiar with so water did not need to be added, but this remained a common practice. Given the lack of clean water supply for most people, drinking watered-down alcohol was a relatively safe option.

The invention of the spritz

Venice had always gone their own way and continued to make wines that were powerful in flavor and alcohol content. These wines were very popular with the Venetians and people from the surrounding Veneto region, but when northern Italy was occupied by Austrian forces at the end of the 18th century/early 19th century, the foreign troops couldn’t handle the wines.

The Austrians had to water down the wine to enjoy it, but they didn’t use still water as in the past. In the 1700’s, a method for artificially creating carbonated water had been developed and this new sparkling water quickly became very popular. The Schweppes company was founded in Geneva in 1783, and the name ‘soda water’ was in use by the turn of the century.

This is what the Austrians used in the Venetian wines, asking bartenders to ‘spray’ their wine with this water. “Spritzen” means ‘to spray’ in German, so the name for the drink evolved from these requests.

The original Venetian spritz

Venetians started trying the new drink, but they felt it was too weak to be truly enjoyable – they had deliberately been creating strong wines after all!

All over Italy, there had long been a tradition of making alcoholic liqueurs from local ingredients. Herbal, botanical, fruit and nut flavors all were represented (and still are), but these liqueurs were not generally mixed with other alcohol.

This all changed in the early 1900’s. The original Aperol liqueur was created in Padua (near Venice) in 1919 and Select in Venice itself in 1920, both bitter liqueurs with strong flavors. At a similar time, the soda syphon was invented, making it much easier to dispense soda water in homes and bars.

Originally these bitter liqueurs were only combined with sparkling water, but then someone had the ingenious idea of combining this with the Austrian watered-down wine, and the rest is history!

How to Make a Proper Venetian Spritz

Aperol spritz is not what the original Venetian spritz is, despite the liqueur being invented in the Veneto city of Padua. The first liqueur to be used was Select, and even today, a Select spritz is the traditional version in Venice.

Select has a base of juniper berries, rhubarb roots and a secret blend of botanicals, so it is less sweet than Aperol. It is nowhere near as bitter as the other well-known liqueur Campari however, and also has a lower alcohol volume.

For us, a Select spritz is a go-to cocktail if you want something a little more balanced. As the original Venetian spritz, you will see the deep red of a Select spritz just as often as the orange Aperol spritz in Venice, if not more!

Venetian Spritz recipe

Whatever your preferred liqueur is, here is our Venetian spritz recipe for you to make at home:

1. Start with a large wine glass or tumbler, and fill it with ice cubes. Do not skimp on the ice! There is nothing worse than a tepid spritz with 2 or 3 ice cubes; it should be properly cold.
2. Add 3 ounces of your chosen bitter liqueur to the glass first.
3. Next, add 3 ounces of white wine. For a truly original Venetian spritz you should use still white wine, but Prosecco or another sparkling wine will also be good. Make sure your choice of wine is dry; sweet or semi-sweet wines tend to throw the balance off and do not work as well.
4. Use a long-handled teaspoon or cocktail mixer to swirl the wine, bitter and ice around until the two liquids are well mixed.
5. To your wine glass or tumbler, add a final spritz of soda water. This should be a very small amount, designed to make the first few sips extra smooth.
6. Garnish with a large green olive (if you have used Select) or an orange wheel (if you have used Aperol) and enjoy!

Not 3, 2, 1?

You may be thinking that the proportions are off, what about the 3,2,1 method popularized by Aperol?

The recipe of 3 parts Aperol, 2 parts prosecco, and 1 part water was added to the branding for Aperol to make it super easy for people to make it. However, this is not how Italians tend to make spritzes, as it is unbalanced and you don’t really get the right flavor. Often no water at all is added, which is why many visitors come here and are surprised by how different their spritz tastes!

Liqueur Variations

As well as Select and Aperol, there are plenty of other liqueurs you can make spritz with, including:

• Campari – This bitter liqueur comes from Milan, and has a punchy, intense flavor. Most commonly used as a key component of the Negroni, a Campari spritz is also a very popular cocktail in Italy. The higher alcohol percentage makes it a potent drink, serve with a large green olive and the splash of water is recommended.

• Cynar – With artichokes as Cynar’s key component, this is a dark, bittersweet liqueur. Drunk in equal measure as a digestivo (after eating) and an aperitivo (before eating), the herbal elements are designed to held digest your food. Not as common as other liqueurs, a Cynar spritz is smoother and has a very different flavor – well worth trying if you have the opportunity!
• Luxardo Aperitivo – The Luxardo company was first founded in Croatia, but moved to a small town in Veneto, Torreglia, in the 1940’s. They make many products but their Aperitivo is an excellent replacement if you like Aperol spritz. Slightly less sweet but with a similar flavor profile, the Luxardo liqueur is also a little lower in alcohol. Serve with an orange slice.

Pairing a Venetian Spritz With Food

Unlike Italian wine, which you can (and we do!) pair with pretty much everything, a spritz does not work well with all food.

Italians will only order an Aperol spritz or Select spritz during the day or at aperitivo time, very rarely with dinner.

The salty, savory snacks served with aperitivo pair perfectly with the strong cocktail, but start adding pastas or fish into the mix and they lose some of their sparkle.

Of course, to go with the original Venetian spritz, you really need to go for a selection of Venetian cicchetti. These small bite sized snacks are the perfect accompaniment to a great spritz, and luckily you can get them all over Venice.

If you’re not sure where to get started on discovering your perfect Venetian spritz, we’re here to help!

Join us as we jump from bar to bar, taking in Venice’s major sights at the same time, or take to the water and learn to row along the canals to reach some of Venice’s best foodie spots. We have a wide range of experiences on offer in Venice and the Veneto region, so get in touch today to see how we can make your travel extra special.