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What's Katie Doing?

Gin Travel Food

August 16, 2020

#sevendaysofspritz – all the Spritz inspiration you need!

If you’ve been following What’s Katie Doing? on social media, you may have noticed me posting about Spritzes all week! That’s been my #SevenDaysofSpritz, where if you search the hashtag you’ll see that loads of other’s have joined in. As we celebrate this iconic drink, we’ve all embraced the various variations that can be made with this simple formula. Read on to learn more!

Spritz by the pool #sevendaysofspritz on What's Katie Doing? blog

My ideal summer view

*Full disclosure – some of the products mentioned in this post were gifted – these will be marked when first mentioned*

#sevendaysofspritz – all the Spritz inspiration you need!

What is a Spritz?

When I say spritz do you think of the classic Aperol Spritz? That bittersweet drink that looks so inviting, but has frequently been butchered in execution?! Aperol have done well in their marketing and have created something that everyone recognises. However the origin of the Spritz isn’t limited to Aperol alone. The iconic drink started from adding soda and ice to wine, to both lower the ABV and make it something you could drink by the bucketful on a hot summer’s day.

Aperol Spritz at the Colonel Fawcett pub in Camden

Aperol spritz time!

Whilst there is no hard and fast rule to making a spritz, my good friend & cocktail guru @julianvallis defines it like this:

a spritz has to cover a simple wine and soda at the most basic, to something like a Negroni Sbagliato: so they almost always use either wine, aromatised wine (e.g. vermouth) or an aperitif (most liqueurs, amaro/bitter)… and then have fizz (soda or sparkling wine) and normally served with ice in a wine glass.

The whole point about a Spritz cocktail is that it’s easy to make and refreshing to drink, so play around with what you like to drink!

 

The classic spritz proportions 3:2:1

Aperol spritz outside on a restaurant table

When it’s hot this hits the spot

Aperol have certainly done well with marketing their 3:2:1 proportions for the perfect spritz. This works out as:

3 of prosecco

2 of Aperol (or bitter element)

1 of Soda water

I’ve certainly tried to stick to this, to create long refreshing serves that work so well in these hot & sticky summer days. However you can also add other spirits for something harder, or sub the prosecco for vermouth topped up with tonic or soda for a lower ABV option.

 

Spritz alternatives from #SevenDaysofSpritz

Not sure you like Aperol? Well here are some alternative spritzes for you:

Sacred Rosehip Cup

Sacred Rosehip Cup and spritz

 

Made up exactly like the classic spritz in the 3:2:1 formula, this uses Rosehip cup instead of the Aperol. Sacred make gin, vermouth and whisky, as well this Rosehip cup in their distillery in Highgate, North London. Their Rosehip cup is made with oranges, rosehips and rhubarb, so is a fruitier and more complex bitter element than Campari (and it makes a great negroni with Sacred’s own vermouth!).

 

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Look at the beading on that glass 🥵 day 2 of #sevendaysofspritz and I went with a North London classic spritz with @sacredgin 🍹 I made this up in the classic spritz proportions 3:2:1 I.e. 3 of Prosecco or sparkling wine 🍾 2 of bitter / aperitivo – @sacredgin Rosehip Cup for this one Topped up with 1 of soda, serve over ice with a wedge of orange 🍊(mine was frozen leftovers – does anyone else do that?) 🍸 @sacredgin make award winning gins, vermouths, this Rosehip cup and even whisky – if you are near Highgate high street then I fully recommend that you head to their shop to try before you buy! 🍹 #whatskatiedoingblog #sacredgin #sacredrosehipcup #northlondongin #highgategin #londoncocktails #homebartender #quarantini #aperitivo #apertif #spritztime #spritzlife #spritzoclock #craftcocktails #drinkstagram #cocktailsforyou #ginspiration #tastytuesday #summerdrinks #imbibe #imbibegram #ginfluencers #gincrew #ginlovers #cocktaillovers #somethingcold #drinksforahotday #rosehipspritz

A post shared by Gin🍸| Travel✈️| Food🍴 (@whatskatiedoing) on Aug 11, 2020 at 9:04am PDT

Savoury citrus spritz

Italicus and green olive spritz

I first tried this Spritz at Duck and Waffle and I was inspired to give it a try. A combination of savoury green olive with it’s salty brine notes and sweet bergamot citrus liqueur from Italicus – divine!

 

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Day 3 of #sevendaysofspritz and I’m trying a savoury twist on a spritz! 🍾 This delightful number is inspired by the Summer Spritz I had at @duckandwaffle last month – they used a green olive infused Italicus and I thought it was so refreshing and moorish I had to recreate it 🥂 For my version I marinated fat green ‘gorda’ olives in @italicusrdb – do this for as long as you can – they are good after a day, but better after a week! 🍸 I then assembled in a massive glass full of ice, 50ml of the Italicus from the olives, 100ml of Prosecco, topped with soda and served with the marinated olive 😋 🥂 Fresh and light, a great combination of sweet @italicusrdb and savoury olives – this is one I’ll be making again and again (once I’ve bought more olives to marinade 😂) . #whatskatiedoingblog #aperitivo #aperitif #aperitivotime #spritz #spritztime #spritzlife #spritzoclock #quarantini #londoncocktails #italicusrosoliodibergamotto #italicusspritz #italicuscocktails #greenolive #summerdrinks #colddrinksforhotdays #colddrinksforhotweather #imbibe #cocktailsforyou #imbibegram #duckandwafflelondon #spritzer #spritztwist #greenolivesspritz #summerspritz

A post shared by Gin🍸| Travel✈️| Food🍴 (@whatskatiedoing) on Aug 12, 2020 at 9:26am PDT

 

Raspberry infused spritz

Cocchi Rosa aperitivo

I was gifted some Cocchi Rosa and I’ve been playing around with different serves. For the seven days of spritz I took some inspiration from Inka from @onthesauce again and her fruit infusions, to create a raspberry infused spritz!

 

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Day 4 of #sevendaysofspritz & it’s also #nationalproseccoday which is perfect for todays spritz #gifted 🍷 So I’ve created a @cocchispritz_uk using Cocchi Rosa vermouth (gifted) that was infused with raspberries (2 parts), Prosecco (3 parts), topped with soda and garnished with a fresh basil leaf & raspberry 🥂 The combination was light and sweet from the raspberry infusion and very refreshing! I need to play around more with the Cocchi Rosa – so watch this space! 💕 #whatskatiedoingblog #cocchispritz #cocchivermouth #cocchirosa #cocchiamericano #lovecocchi #cocchivermouthditorino #cocchicrew #cocchitorino #aperitivo #aperitif #aperitivotime #sprtiz #spritzer #spritz🍹 #spritztime #spritzlife #imbibegram #imbibe #homecocktailsession #homebartender

A post shared by Gin🍸| Travel✈️| Food🍴 (@whatskatiedoing) on Aug 13, 2020 at 11:04am PDT

 

Grapefruit gin & aperitif spritz

Grapefruit spritz with Lakes Pink Grapefruit gin and Pampelle

One for the grapefruit lovers

Combining two grapefruit flavours may seem a little extreme, but it makes for a beaut of a cocktail! The Lakes Pink Grapefruit gin [gifted] is fresh and zesty with a punchy grapefruit flavour that holds up to most mixers. Pampelle ruby red aperitif has a gorgeous colour as well as grapefruit flavour. Leave out the gin for a lower abv serve.

 

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Day 5 of #sevendaysofspritz and I’m resolutely staying in and avoiding the rain! Luckily I have supplies (gifted items marked below) and @freddiesflowers to brighten things up 🌸 Today’s spritz is one for you GRAPEFRUIT lovers! I’ve used @pampellerubyred aperitif with @lakesdistillery pink grapefruit gin (#gifted), topped up with @fevertreemixers Mediterranean tonic and garnished with a slice of lemon 🍋 Yes it’s double grapefruit and you could make this a lower abv serve by leaving out the gin – but it’s Friday! 🥂 The @lakesdistillery Pink Grapefruit gin elevates pink grapefruit from the perfect garnish for the original gin to being the central ingredient. It has a very zesty refreshing nose, with a strong grapefruit flavour that really comes through in a gin and tonic, extra complexity from the other citrus and coriander, ending with a punch of pepper. At 46% it’s also punchy from the alcohol! A lovely gin for a long Summery g&t or spritz. 💕 #whatskatiedoingblog #grapefruitgin #lakesdistillery #lakesdistillerygin #lakesgin #lakespinkgrapefruit #lakespinkgrapefruitgin #spritz #spritzer #spritztime #spritzlife #fridaydrinks #pampellespritz #pampellerubyred #pampelle #freddiesflowers #peonies #grapefruitspritz #grapefruitspritzer #grapefruitloversunite #imbibe #imbibegram #homebartender #summerdrinks #colddrinksforhotdays

A post shared by Gin🍸| Travel✈️| Food🍴 (@whatskatiedoing) on Aug 14, 2020 at 12:03pm PDT

Arancione [gifted] & gin spritz

Zeiver gin and Arancione aperitif spritz

Serve with a frozen orange wedge

This one is for the orange lovers. If you find Aperol too bitter then try the Arancione aperitif from Starlino [gifted] which emphasises sweet Italian orange. To make this a little punchier I added Zeiver gin [gifted], which has a unique array of botanicals, but most importantly loads of juniper and lovely fruity notes.

 

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Spritz gin and tonic! #gifted 🍊 Day 6 of #sevendaysofspritz and I’ve been amazed at how many of you are joining in! Don’t forget to use the hashtag to search for inspiration! 🥂 We’ve moved from sunny to muggy in London so this @thestarlino Arancione Aperitif brings it’s own injection of sun into today’s spritz. Loaded with Italian orange peel, lemon peel and grapefruit peel, it’s a sweeter aperitif that can be served just with tonic for a lower abv spritz or used similarly to Aperol with Prosecco ☀️ However I’ve paired the Arancione with @zeivergin to add some glorious juniper and fruity notes. I was pleasantly surprised by the juniper heft on opening the @zeivergin – with so many unusual gin botanicals, like peach, pistachio, aloe Vera, cherry, macadama and a rice base spirit – it’s a great juniper forward gin, with interesting summer fruit flavours (in a classic gin way – not a flavoured gin way!) 🍑 The result is a lovely twist on a gin and tonic or a more boozey summer spritz: 50ml Arancione @thestarlino 50ml @zeivergin Top with tonic – I used @fevertreemixers Garnish with an orange wedge (I store mine frozen!! 🍊 #whatskatiesdoingblog #spritz #spritzer #spritztime #spritzlife #summerdrinks #zeivergin #arancioneaperitif #starlino #starlinoarancione #starlinospritz #arancionespritz #spritz🍹 #ginandtonictwist #ginspritz #ginspritzer #homebartender #colddrinksonahotday #orangeginandtonic #aperitivo #aperitif

A post shared by Gin🍸| Travel✈️| Food🍴 (@whatskatiedoing) on Aug 15, 2020 at 12:02pm PDT

 

Lower ABV Victory bitters spritz

Victory bitters with Blood Orange soda

A great combination!

Victory make their Bitter, as well as vodka, gin, vermouth and whole selection of other spirits and cocktails in North East London. So this could also be called the London Spritz. The combination of the drier Victory bitters with Fevertree’s blood orange soda is a perfect mix – I highly recommend you try it!

 

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No filter needed! For the 7th and final day of #sevendaysofspritz I’ve gone with a lower abv serve using @victorylondonuk bitters – made in North East London ❤️ Victory bitters has less sugar than Campari and is delightfully complex. It uses organic biodynamic wine, a wheat spirit base and botanicals and fruits including gentian root, orange peel, apricot, rosemary, sage and fig 🍊 Served with @fevertreemixers Blood Orange soda, this is a refreshing and balanced mix – not too sweet and not too bitter but a perfect appetite stimulant, great for pre-dinner drinks 🧡 I hope you’ve enjoyed #sevendaysofspritz – don’t forget to browse the hashtag for more spritz inspiration – I’ll be publishing a blog on it very shortly – so check out the link in my bio in a hour! ❤️ #whatskatiedoingblog #victorylondon #victorybitters #victoryspritz #londonspritz #spritztime #spritz #spritzer #spritzlife #englishspritz #aperitivo #aperitif #bloodorangespritz #bloodorangesoda #fevertreesoda #lowabvspritz #lowabvcocktails #imbibe #imbibegram #fevertreemixers #homebartender #cocktailsforyou #simplespritz #twoingredientspritz

A post shared by Gin🍸| Travel✈️| Food🍴 (@whatskatiedoing) on Aug 16, 2020 at 12:15pm PDT

 

Dessert ‘spritz’ options

So combining dessert and a spritz is pretty easy when you think about sorbets! The classic Sgroppino originates from Venice and is a combination of Lemon sorbet and vodka topped with Italian sparkling wine.

I also saw Bittersweet Melissa’s Campari based version, which I think is more fitting for a spritz version (as it has the bitter element from the Campari):

 

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Passion Fruit Sgroppino: 1 scoop of passion fruit sorbetto 1 ounce Campari Prosecco to top off ❤️ #heaveninacoupe #sgroppino #passionfruitsgroppino #campari #prosecco #passionfruit #allthebestthings #operationallthelilikoi #drinkyourdessert #impassionateaboutpassionfruit

A post shared by Melissa Watson (@bittersweet.melissa) on Jul 26, 2020 at 2:58pm PDT

For my version I wanted to use Pietro Nicola Peach Aperitif wine and I spotted the most amazing sorbet at a local ice cream shop – Ruby & Violet. Their blood nectarine sorbet sounded like the perfect combination for the peach wine, and topped up with prosecco it turns into a spritz. The best time to drink/eat one of these is when it’s super hot out. You want the sorbet to melt into the drink so you can enjoy all the flavours together, however a spoon also helps!

Pietro Nicola Pescaro aperitif wine in the flowers

 

 

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Who’s feeling HOT HOT HOT⁉️ 🥵 Cool down with this spritz twist using @rubyandviolet blood nectarine sorbet, doused with a shot of @pietronicola_official Pescaro peach aperitif wine 🍑 and then topped up with Prosecco! 🍸 Yes it was delicious, yes it was messy and yes I didn’t use a spoon (but yes I should have!) 😍 Join in with the #SevenDaysofSpritz this week by posting your favourite spritz serves – tag me in to share! . #whatskatiedoingblog #spritzlife #spritztwist #spritz #spritzer #spritztime #spritzforever #imbibegram #imbibe #instacocktail #happyhour #instadrinks #drinkstagrammer #summercocktails #dessertdrinks #cooldrinks #colddrinksforhotdays

A post shared by Gin🍸| Travel✈️| Food🍴 (@whatskatiedoing) on Aug 10, 2020 at 11:10am PDT

 

Non Alcoholic spritzes

Everleaf non alcoholic bitters

I’m a big fan of Everleaf [Gifted] as a non alcoholic bitter that works so well in the spritz serve. Everleaf also works as a non-alcoholic replacement for the bitter element in many cocktails, however standalone it’s a great flavour and only really needs soda & ice to make it into the perfect serve.

 

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#no/low for #ginadaymay #gifted . I’ve chosen @everleafdrinks to showcase for this prompt – not a gin and not trying to be a gin, it’s actually a non alcoholic aperitif – so a bitter, complex drink, best served over ice with soda. . It effectively replaces a pre-dinner drink and is a lovely standalone drink, but I’m also interested to try it in cocktails – eg as a replacement for Suze in a white negroni – this should make for some low alcohol served that are perfect for day drinking in the sun! 😎😂🙌 #drinkresponsibly . #whatskatiedoingblog #lowandnoalcohol #noandlowabv #alternativedrinks #aperitif #apertivo #everleaf #everleafandtonic #everleafandsoda #whattodrinkwhenyourenotdrinking #nightoffthebooze #grownupdrinks #nonalcoholicdrink #nonalcoholiccocktail

A post shared by Gin🍸| Travel✈️| Food🍴 (@whatskatiedoing) on May 28, 2020 at 2:12pm PDT

What spritzes are you drinking this Summer?

 

Seven Days of Spritz poster with glass in front of pool

Pin me for your spritz cocktail inspiration!

 

#sevendaysofspritz all the spritz cocktail you need

Pin me for your spritz cocktail ideas

 

Get inspired to make and drink spritz cocktails this summer

Get inspired to drink spritzes this summer!

 

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