7 Refreshing Spritzes Perfect for Summer Sipping | Men’s Journal

Think of spritzes and the Italian classics flash to mind. The most famous of them all is the orange-hued Aperol spritz, a slightly sweet aperitif with a bitter bite that originated in northern Italy. But along the Amalfi Coast, where lemons grow as large as grapefruits, the summertime sipper of choice is a limoncello spritz. It’s tart and bright, and comes together easily with a combination of limoncello, prosecco, and soda water served in oversized wine glasses on ice and garnished with juicy lemons.

These iconic Italian spritzes provide solid inspiration for wine-based cocktails you can make on your own for an at-home happy hour. Loosely defined, a spritz has three building blocks: Something bubbly, something bitter, and a splash of soda, which give bartenders ample creative freedom to concoct effervescent porch pounders and poolside sips.

Here are seven refreshing riffs on spritzes that bartenders love for warm-weather drinking.

1. Campante Spritz

This cocktail is inspired by both Mexico’s paloma and Italy’s classic spritz. “Mezcal and grapefruit are a match made in heaven, with Aperol adding a bittersweet kick,” says Tom Byrne, bar manager at GOLD, Notting Hill in London. The lemon leaf in this drink can be swapped out for other citrus leaves, which adds a fresh, herbal aroma to round out the cocktail, he says.

Ingredients

• 1 oz Mezcal Campante
• 1 oz Aperol
• 0.33 oz agave syrup
• 1 oz fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
• 3 oz club soda
• 1 lemon leaf

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients except the club soda in a wine glass. Add ice to the top of the glass and stir quickly to combine.
2. Top with soda and add the lemon leaf for garnish, pushing the leaf through the soda to mix, breaking the skin slightly to express the oils.