Sep 7, 2009 Eating & Drinking Venice, Instructions for Use
I call it the National Drink of Venice.
The Venetian Spritz is not, shall we say, an “important” thing. Drink. Whatever. It’s red, for crying out loud, and composed of any unassuming white white,* sparkling water, and your choice of either Aperol, Select, or Bitter (Campari or even the herby Cynar) concoctions. Although the fist Spritzes were made with white wine and seltzer only, the newer, flashier red version is a Campari creation that has become a Venetian (and Veneto) habit: as one of its many Facebook-dedicated pages states, is “not just a drink, but a way of life.”
That appealing shade of orangish-red, however, makes the Spritz extraordinarily entertaining; when you witness late afternoon Venetian sunlight angling through the glass, firing it the color of icy embers, ti viene la voglia. It just MAKES you want one. This is by design of course, and a quantifiable phenomenon. Ask anyone.
It would seem obvious, then, that you should order at least one Spritz during your stay, if for no other reason than to stare in compania, to hang out and blend in. It’s even safe to “try this at home” (although I must to warn you: it won’t be the same).
Thanks in no small part to furious commercial efforts on the part of Campari (who also produce Aperol and Cynar, by the way), this unpretentious, borderline silly libation is aiming to be the National Drink of Italy. But the Spritz (or ‘Spriss’ in Venessiàn) will always be best enjoyed on its home turf (turf?), perhaps Al Chioscchetto on the Zattere, as the sun lowers over the Giudecca Canal sloshing vigorously before you, while everyone at surrounding tables sips theirs, chattering away, catching up with a friend they’ve connected with by chance or by appointment, in who-knows what language. Maybe there’s live music; maybe not.
The Spritz fa il suo effetto (has its effect) on most everyone who tries it; and the result is una marea of requests for the recipe; and although I’d rather recommend a good wine, it just makes sense to post it once and for all. Evvia.
My favorite Venetian Spritz recipe is stamped on the canvas bags made by women in Venetian prison – it’s one of the ways those inside support themselves. Keep an eye out yourself for kiosks located in a number of campi in the city, selling these charming, handy bags in a variety of designs.
“Official” Spritz recipe
INGREDIENTS:
1 part white wine
1 part Aperol (medium sweet) OR Select (less sweet) OR Campari or San Bitter
1 part seltzer/sparkling water (it helps if you can blast it into the glass)
Combine the above with
a little ice,
an olive, and
a slice of orange / lemon / lemon
respectively, according to your choice of aperitif mixer.
For maximum effect, add late afternoon sunlight and
consume near a large body of water.
If you do try making them yourself, let me know how they turn out, won’t you?
___________
ONE FINAL NOTE: Don’t forget, when ordering your Spritz, you must specify the mixer. For example, “Spritz con Aperol,” “Spritz with Select” (pronounced SELect), etc. If you don’t, you’ll be asked which you prefer.
* Aperol (made by Campari) has now decided a Spritz is made by combining it with Prosecco, which is convenient in that it supports Prosecco production and can reduce the number of Spritz ingredients to two (or creates a too-fizzy concoction). The hold-outs among us prefer the original, and to enjoy our Prosecco in purezza, by itself.
all photos © Nan McElroy
September 7th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Sounds good, but I’ve never seen one down here in Apulia!
September 7th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Oh, just give it time. Do let us know if you start seeing radioactive-looking cocktails appearing on bar tables at aperitivo time… : )
September 7th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
HHHmmm….. Looks like I’ll have to try one of these when I come to Venice for the first time in October!
September 8th, 2009 at 1:23 am
I had many Spritz last month! They are great on a hot day!
September 8th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
I just lived in Padova for 3 months, don’t forget the Spritz Azzurro!! It makes everyone laugh, but it is a real drink that they serve in Piazza delle signori. Made with blue Curacao (I think thats the name of it) it tastes similar to a normal spritz. Maybe a little more bitter than your average aperol! And don’t forget the patatine…they just compliment the spritz like you won’t believe!
September 10th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Ciao Nan,
glad you liked the Note on Le Isole Lagunari published on Italian Notebook, and thanks for adding your precious advice!
I was going to be in Venezia for the Festival, but eventually didn’t make it. Damn, I was hoping to meet you for a Spritz!
Lola
September 10th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Sarà per un’altra volta.
Everyone, do take in another take on the Spritz, by Lola, AKA @passerotta.
I still can’t get the image of that blue Spritz out of my head…
September 11th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
A friend just told me to check out your blog. Perfect to get here for a spritz recipe.
I however, will probably not get past the ones that I have had at Al Ponte Antico, a small hotel, made by Matteo, the owner, sitting on the terrace overlooking the Grand Canal….and unfortunately, the graffiti on the Rialto. If you can, stop by and ask him to make you one.
September 11th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
I do know the Hotel Al Ponte Antico and its charming terrace. Everyone has their preferred Spritz-consumption locale…
Would you stop by there the next time you’re back, and let us know if it’s any different than the canvas bag recipe (I refuse to make mine with Prosecco, though…or pay more than €2,50. I’m a true testarda (hard head) ;> ).
October 1st, 2009 at 10:19 pm
I do love a pre-dinner spritz when I’m in north Italy. The first time I saw it was in Verona. Every single local I could see was drinking a mysterious orange drink, so when the waiter came to take my order I just pointed at one and said ‘cosi’. He noted my vague grasp of Italian and didn’t go ask for any more details.
December 13th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
I love the idea of its being the “National Drink”, quite an appropriate title.
The Prosecco version is not to be spurned while untested (they usually use a slightly less expensive prosecco anyhow), and they still tend to add the selz on the prosecco version as well, most places. It makes a wonderful Spriss, but I do agree that more than €2.50 means you are most likely in a tourist trap, and should run.
DO BEWARE of spritz (lower case “S” imitation drinks) outside Venice, as they are often/usually overpriced, underaccompanied, and taste just “wrong” for someone raised to recognize the “real thing”. I recently was cajoled by a friend in Milan to have a spritz sitting near, but not even at the Navigli, and almost spewed the first taste all over the table, but manners forced me to drink the whole ice-filled, watered down concoction, as she was so happily paying €7 for the privilege of offering me that “red thing” (my terms) that she “knew was from my (adopted) home town”. She loved it, and ordered a second, but I feigned it going to my head too quickly to avoid undergoing that torture twice.