Tale of Two Spritzes: Aperol Spritz and Campari Spritz

Frank2 September 2017beverage, Venice and the Veneto55 Comments

Summer is coming to a close and the temperatures around here are already getting downright chilly. But it’s not too late to enjoy two iconic summertime apéritifs: the Aperol Spritz and the Campari Spritz. These refreshing cocktails are made with Prosecco mingled with the bitter liqueur and topped off with a splash of mineral water, served on the rocks, typically with a slice of orange.

These days Aperol Spritz is the more popular of the two, especially internationally. Truth to be told, I hadn’t come across the Campari Spritz until quite recently. I thought I had “invented” it when I ran out of Aperol and decided to substitute Campari instead. Campari Soda is one of my favorite summer cocktails, I figured, so why not? And it was very good indeed. In fact, I liked it even better than its more famous cousin. What a coup!

As it turns out, Campari Spritz was wasn’t my invention at all. It’s been around for a long time, even longer according to some sources than the Aperol Spritz. No matter, each is delicious in its own way. Why not try them both and decide which you enjoy more?

Ingredients

For each cocktail:

3 parts prosecco
2 parts Aperol or Campari
1 part sparkling mineral water or soda water
A few cubes of ice
A slice of orange (or other citrus fruit)

Directions

Drop a few ice cubes into your glass.

Pour in the prosecco, then the Campari or Aperol, then top up with the mineral water.

Stir gently, nestle the orange slice among the ice cubes, and serve.

Campari Spritz on the left, Aperol Spritz on the right.

Notes on Aperol Spritz and Campari Spritz

Campari is a world-famous bitter liqueur, perhaps the bitterest bitter around. Invented in Novara in the 19th century, it originally got its characteristic deep red color from crushed cochineal insects. (If this makes you squeamish, no worries: Campari stopped using the insects in 2006.) In summer, when you’re not using it for a Spritz, it is customary to cut it with soda and add a wedge of lemon or orange to make a refreshing Campari Soda. In cooler weather, you can enjoy Campari mixed with vermouth and soda to make an Americano; substituting the soda with a shot of gin, you’ll have what may be the most iconic Italian cocktail of all, the Negroni.

Aperol provides an alternative for those who enjoy the strong citrus taste of Campari but don’t like its severe bitterness and the alcohol content. Aperol contains only 11% alcohol. Made of bitter orange, gentian, rhubarb, and cinchona, among other ingredients, Aperol is rather less bitter than Campari, with hints of sweetness in fact. It sports a lighter color, more rust than red.

If I don’t happen to have oranges in the house, a slice of lemon or lime does just fine, as do other citrus fruits such as clementines. I’ve even seen this recipe for a few olives. (Doesn’t sound like my favorite, but if it appeals to you, go for it.)

Other Spritzes

There’s also a recipe around for the “Campari Spritzer,” which is something very different: Campari, orange juice and soda water. That’s quite similar to what the Campari company calls the Campari Orange, with some added soda.

Speaking of Spritzes, there’s also the Austrian Gespritzter: White wine topped up with some soda water or bubbly mineral water. It was the first Spritz I actually got to know, back when I was living in Vienna in the early 1990s. They say that the Austrian Gespritzter was in fact the original Spritz, invented by the Austrians in the 19th century to soften the Italian wines they found overly strong. It was only in the early 20th century that the Spritzes we know today, made with bitter liqueurs, were born.

And besides Aperol and Campari, Cynar—a modern liqueur made, believe it or not, from artichokes—also lends itself to this treatment. And my sister tells me that Limoncello Spritz was a popular item on her recent trip to Sorrento. Truth be told you can probably switch out the Aperol or Campari for any number of other liqueurs and come up with something appealing. Why not experiment and let us know what you think?

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