This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Feature
What will be the Spritz of summer?
The Spritz is dead – long live the Spritz. The Aperol Spritz dominated menus and rooftop bars a few years ago, but what will be the drink of summer 2024?
For some it’s too bitter, for others too sweet – and some are simply suspicious of its vibrant orange hue. The next summer serve that can topple Aperol from its throne has a lot of boxes to tick – and while here at SB we’re big fans of the classic, there are plenty of other options out there.
Here are five Spritzes we think could be big in 2024.
Hugo Spritz
The Hugo Spritz went viral on social media in 2023, with searches for the summery serve skyrocketing by 281% in the UK. For some, its popularity last year will mean it’s passé this summer – but for those of you who don’t limit your tastes to one trend cycle, its refreshing elderflower notes could make it your new barbecue companion.
Just like an Aperol version, it can made to the 3:2:1 rule (although there’s no strict recipe) – or put your jigger down and crack open a pre-mixed bottle from Black Lines.
Limoncello Spritz
The Limoncello Spritz has already been branded the drink of the summer by the London Evening Standard and Country and Town House, with its core ingredient reminding drinkers of post-dinner digestifs during a dreamy Italian holiday. It’s another cocktail that balances the fine line between bitter and sweet, with different products and recipes allowing bartenders to adapt each serve to its drinker.
For those of you who find the liqueur a little unrefined, Allora has set out to create a more premium product that is better suited to a Spritz and can be served without Prosecco – and it won Gold at The DB & SB Spring Blind Tasting 2024.
Vermouth Spritz
Given the popularity of Negronis and Manhattans, it’s surprising that vermouth is not more prevalent on back bars worldwide. But Italian vermouth brand Cocchi is hoping to change that with its campaign, ‘Sip, Stir, Spritz’, which launched in May. The ‘Sip’ refers to drinking vermouth neat, while ‘Stir’ targets vermouth-based cocktails… and we think you can guess the last one. A Cocchi Rosa Spritz combines just two ingredients (vermouth and tonic), while a Cocchi Rosa & Earl Grey Tea version will appeal to the more adventurous bartender.
It’s not just Cocchi either – London restaurant Padella often has a Vermouth Spritz on the menu, with its current iteration featuring elderflower too.
Pomello Spritz
While orange and lemon are already covered, there’s still room for other citrus fruits to muscle in. Enter Pomello, an apéritif made with pomello, a citrus fruit in the grapefruit family, and elderflower (watch out Hugo). The brand launched in 2023 and is inspired by its co-founders’ hometowns in LA and Sweden. As with our other choices, it balances sweet and bitter – plus its bottle is beautiful.
The non-alcoholic Spritz
With moderation on the rise, there’s a clear space for a non-alcoholic brand to capture the market. Everleaf is one contender, with the brand offering three flavours: Marine, Forest and Mountain. It recently held a competition for bartenders to create their own Spritz using the brand’s products, with one winning drink featuring Mancino Sakura vermouth, toasted koji rice cordial, yuzu ponzu and soda.
There’s also alcohol-free giant Lyre’s, which last year raised nearly £18 million (US$22.9m) through a funding round. It sells sets of its non-alcoholic Italian Spritz ‘liqueur’ packaged with its non-alcoholic Prosecco alternative, Classico – or if mixing two bottles is too much for you, it also offers a pre-mixed Amalfi Spritz in a can.
Related news
Osaka welcomes sky-high Bar Bota