Have you ever wondered why the trendiest summer drink is Italian yet has a German name? The spritz has a surprisingly military backstory and dates back to the 1800s when Venice was part of the Austrian Empire. During this time, Austrian soldiers, diplomats and merchants would often visit Venice but found the wine to be too strong for their taste. Soon after, they started asking the local hosts to add a splash, or in German, a “spritz,” of water to the local Italian wine to dilute the alcohol content similar to the beer or rieslings and grüner vetliners they were more accustomed to drinking. Over time (and two World Wars) the water in a spritz turned to sparkling water, and the still wine was substituted or complemented with different alcohols: herbal bitter liqueur, vermouth or prosecco. At Clos19, we also love our spritz with vodka, cognac, Chandon sparkling wine or even champagne for an ultra-luxury twist.
Champagne Spritz Recipes
Ginger
Cucumber
Grapefruit
Ginger
Veuve Clicquot Rich Rosé & Ginger
Veuve Clicquot Rich Rosé
Garnish: ginger
Glass: large, wide glass
Place a few ice cubes in a large glass and add ginger.
Top up with chilled Veuve Clicquot Rich Rosé and enjoy.
Cucumber
Veuve Clicquot Rich & Cucumber
Veuve Clicquot Rich
Garnish: cucumber slices
Glass: large, wide glass
Place a few ice cubes in a large glass and add cucumber slices.
Top up with chilled Veuve Clicquot Rich Rosé and enjoy.
Grapefruit
Veuve Clicquot Rich Rosé & Grapefruit
Veuve Clicquot Rich Rosé
Garnish: grapefruit slices
Glass: large, wide glass
Place a few ice cubes in a large glass and add grapefruit slices.
Top up with chilled Veuve Clicquot Rich Rosé and enjoy.