Spritz: the perfect sparkling aperitivo for summer

A spritz is, above all, a way of understanding the aperitivo: a long, low-ABV drink that combines sparkling wine, an amaro or bitter liqueur and a splash of soda water, served with plenty of ice and an orange slice. At STILLROOM we treat it as a category with its own identity — not as a brand — and we like exploring its limits through our signature cocktail making in the Los Jerónimos neighbourhood, Madrid. If you’re after freshness, balanced bitterness and a fine fizz, the spritz is the summer aperitivo that always works.

What a spritz is and how it works: the perfect aperitivo formula

The spritz is an aperitivo cocktail category, not a fixed recipe or a registered trademark. Its origins lie in Italy’s Veneto region, where 19th-century Austrian soldiers lengthened local white wines with a splash of sparkling water — spritzen, in German, means “to splash”. Over time, that wine-and-soda base took on amari and bitter liqueurs, giving rise to the family of drinks we know today.

The classic structure follows the 3-2-1 rule: three parts sparkling wine (prosecco or cava), two parts amaro or bitter liqueur and one part soda water. It’s built directly in a balloon or wine glass, over plenty of ice, and finished with an orange slice or a twist that releases essential oils. The result is a drink of around 8-11% alcohol, light, fizzy and with a bitterness that whets the appetite without becoming cloying.

Why does it work so well in summer? Because the combination of cold, fizz and bitterness activates the taste buds and stimulates the production of saliva and gastric juices, exactly what we want before eating. What’s more, its low alcohol content lets you enjoy more than one without the heat taking its toll. In Madrid, with the thermometer climbing, a well-made spritz is pure common sense.

The role of bitterness and fizz

Bitterness isn’t a flaw: it’s the aperitivo’s engine. The bitter compounds in roots, barks and citrus — gentian, rhubarb, cinchona bark, bitter orange — stimulate the taste receptors and prepare the stomach for food. The fizz, meanwhile, brings a lively texture that carries volatile aromas up to the nose and refreshes the palate. Together, they turn the spritz into a drink that calls for another sip and another dish.

Types of spritz: a table to navigate amari and profiles

The world of the spritz is broader than it seems. Each amaro or liqueur brings a different character: more citrusy, more herbal, drier or sweeter. This table gathers the most representative variants we work with and recommend at STILLROOM.

Spritz	Amaro or Liqueur	Profile
Aperol Spritz	Aperol	Soft citrus sweetness, orange and rhubarb, light bitterness. The most accessible.
Campari Spritz	Campari	Intense bitterness, herbs and bark, dry finish. For trained palates.
Hugo Spritz	Elderflower and mint liqueur	Floral, fresh and sweet. Very popular in the Tyrol and Central Europe.
Select Spritz	Select Aperitivo	A balance between Aperol and Campari, roots and citrus. Venetian roots.
Cynar Spritz	Cynar	Artichoke and herbs, earthy bitterness and vegetal depth. Very food-friendly.

Each of these spritzes allows for adjustments: from the sparkling wine chosen to the garnish. At STILLROOM we like to play with our own cordials, infusions and aromatic twists to bring each variant onto our own turf.

Anatomy of the spritz: what each element brings

Breaking a spritz down into its parts helps us understand why it works and how we can fine-tune it. Here’s a table with the function of each component and its guideline proportion, which we then adjust according to the amaro and the desired profile.

Element	Function	Guideline Proportion
Sparkling wine (prosecco or cava)	Light alcoholic base, fizz, freshness and body.	3 parts (90-120 ml)
Amaro or bitter liqueur	Brings bitterness, aromatic complexity and colour.	2 parts (60-80 ml)
Soda or sparkling water	Lengthens, lowers the alcohol content and lifts the fizz.	1 part (30-40 ml)
Plenty of ice	Chills, dilutes slowly and holds the structure.	Fill the glass
Orange slice or twist	Brings citrus essential oils and an aromatic counterpoint.	1 unit

The key lies in balance: if the amaro is very sweet, like Aperol, we can tip the scale towards a drier sparkling wine. If it’s very bitter, like Campari, a prosecco with a touch of residual sugar softens the whole. At STILLROOM we measure every proportion to the millilitre, but we always leave room to taste and adjust.

How we use it at STILLROOM: the spritz from the laboratory

At STILLROOM the spritz isn’t a filler: it’s a canvas. We start from the classic structure and apply laboratory cocktail-making techniques to reinterpret it without losing its refreshing, appetite-opening essence. We work with our own ferments, citrus cordials measured to the gram and aromatic twists that change the experience without the drinker needing to know why.

The garnish, for instance, isn’t decoration. A well-expressed orange twist over the surface of the spritz releases limonene and other essential oils that transform the first sip. In our signature versions, we sometimes replace the soda with kombucha — a fermented tea with natural fizz and live acidity — to add complexity without adding alcohol. These are decisions we make from the knowledge of the advanced cocktail techniques we apply every day at our bar on Calle Moreto 9.

Three ideas to start with

If you want to explore the category on your own or understand how we approach it at home, these three variants give you a clearly distinct map of flavours.

Textbook Aperol Spritz

The starting point. Brut prosecco, Aperol and soda water in a 3-2-1 ratio, ice to the top and a thick slice of orange. No tricks: if the sparkling wine is good and the ice is plentiful, it works on its own. At STILLROOM we serve it with an extra grapefruit twist to lift the citrus bitterness.

The House’s Floral Spritz

Our own twist: we replace the classic amaro with an elderflower and verbena cordial that we make with citric acid and inverted sugar, and combine it with brut nature cava and a splash of fermented lime soda. The profile is floral, dry and highly aromatic, with an extremely fine fizz. Ideal for anyone after a less sweet, more food-friendly aperitivo.

Alcohol-Free Spritz with Kombucha

We start with green tea kombucha, mix it with an alcohol-free bitter orange and gentian cordial, and lengthen it with well-chilled sparkling water. The result keeps the bitterness, fizz and complexity of a classic spritz, but with 0% alcohol. Perfect for anyone who doesn’t drink, or for lingering at the table with no consequences.