WHAT IS A SPRITZ?

To answer this common curiosity, let us hark back to humble beginnings. Where the classic cocktail first blossomed into delicious existence.

The year: circa 1815. After the Austrian Empire had come to rule the Italian region of Veneto, local Italian wine had quickly begun to find its way into the gullets of the Austrian merchants, soldiers and diplomats. The only problem was that these minions of the Austrian Empire were not all that accustomed to the comparably high alcohol content of these regional Venetian drinks.

It would soon become a common request to have the bartender spray some water into a foreigner’s wine, thus lightening the taste, and giving us the name ‘spritz’. From the German, ‘Spritzen’.

But the story doesn’t stop there. The ingenious idea of adding liqueur bitters into the mix was only hatched in Veneto in around the 1920s. Ice and sparkling water, too, were a common feature at the time.

But of course, the spritz as we know it today didn’t come on the scene till decades later, when still wine was swapped out for the effervescent Prosecco in the 1970s.

So…what is a spritz? A simple yet decadent combination of Prosecco, soda water, a generous helping of ice, and your choice of bitters for that citrusy flavor, and a pretty garnish to top it all off.

THE PAMPELLE SPRITZ COCKTAIL

Spritz cocktails have been a popular summer brunch drink in Italy since the 1950s. Since then the spritz phenomenon has become something of a common pick on the local cocktail menu, hitting a high point of global acclaim around 2018-19.

And while these summer cocktails are normally taken with a particular Italian bitters aperitif, there has certainly been no shortage of new, innovative spritz recipes to accommodate the varied tastes of discerning customers.

Forever pushing the boundaries of flavour, we have tendered our own take on the classic cocktail spritz recipe, departing from the norm to offer something bolder, something unique for a more refreshing drink.

The Pampelle Spritz is a new-fashioned cocktail recipe that blends the spritz essentials – soda, Prosecco, ice – but with the twist of our Pampelle Grapefruit Aperitif, bursting with its beautiful citrusy flavor, natural botanicals and bittersweet essences. Best garnished with a wedge of Ruby Red Grapefruit for that little extra something.

It’s a drink that bubbles with originality and an intensely refreshing spritz experience. The new favourite amoung summer cocktail recipes.