Golden hour calls for a spritz cocktail – here are the latest and greatest creations.
For those north of the equator, summer is finally here – and with it a chance to indulge in a spritz cocktail or three.
Typically, and pleasingly, a spritz is served in a large wine glass with a garnish of fruit or herbs, depending on the concoction, while its most famous iteration is, of course, the Aperol Spritz – a sundowner that took the world by storm a decade or so ago, but has been around for over a century. Its namesake spirit is bright orange in colour, bittersweet in taste and made from a secret recipe of herbs and roots kept under lock and key.
Other popular serves include the Campari spritz, Venetian spritz – made from Select Aperitivo – and Hugo Spritz, which switches out Aperol for St-Germain. Cynar and limoncello also provide the bases for delicious and refreshing combinations. Better still, spritz cocktails usually play a starring role in the tradition of aperitivo. Today, bars across the globe are putting fresh twists on traditional spritzes – and shaking up the three, two, one parts – to offer new and exciting serves for the season ahead. Here are the best of them.
The Bar at Aman, Venice
The Bar at Aman's Red Room has a frescoed ceiling by Cesare Rotta depicting Olympus, and intricate stuccoes celebrating both the arts and sciences
It's thought the spritz originated from Italy's Veneto region in the 19th century, so it's hardly surprising the city is home to some of the world's finest. Of particular note is Voxa, the signature spritz at The Bar at Aman, which combines white bitters, peach, basil cordial, bitters and prosecco to spectacular effect. It's served in a highball and garnished with basil while its ombré colour of yellow and orange is as pleasing on the eye as the flavour is on the palate. Secreted away in the hotel's Red Room with access to a hidden garden beside the canal, the bar itself is a suitably luxurious space for enjoying the spritz, its original Cesare Rotta fresco and silk coverings adding lashings of Italian style.
Swift, London
Swift has three locations in London, with a cocktail menu divided according to bright, delicate, rich and stiff flavour profiles
It would be remiss to talk of spritz cocktails and not mention London's Soho, where the streets come alive with colourful aperitifs and even more colourful drinkers on any given summer evening. For a surefire winner, head to Swift – headed up by Mia Johansson and Bobby Hiddleston of Milk & Honey fame with Nightjar and Oriole owners Rosie Stimpson and Edmund Weil in the wings. Plump for the Solstice – a longstanding favourite starring a clementine tincture, a touch of passionfruit syrup, Campari, sweet vermouth and prosecco. A harmonious balance of bitter and sweet, the off-menu cocktail can be ordered by simply whispering into the bartender's ear. The bar itself? A drinking den of two halves – a bright and breezy space on the ground floor and a dark and decadent spot downstairs.
Little Red Door, Paris
The Aquaculture cocktail at Little Red Door uses mushrooms cultivated on a farm in a former car park
Heard of the Aquaculture spritz before? We didn't think so. This herbaceous concoction blends the briny character of sea lettuce with the celery-like nature of lovage anchored by Anaë Gin distilled by seaweed. Oceanic and savoury, it's a nod to Little Red Door's mission to turn farming methods into flavourful cocktails while bringing together agriculture, sustainability and creativity in every glass. The Parisian bar's clandestine vibes provide appropriately underground vibes for sipping this off-the-wall spritz with no exterior signage and an interior styled on the watering holes of prohibition.
Quattro Teste, Lisbon 
The citrus-spiked Spritzino at Quattro Teste is served highball-style
Basque-Italian cocktail bar Quattro Teste has at least one spritz on the menu at any given time – usually on tap. Alongside their Spritzino – which follows the familiar three, two, one part composition – there's a spin on a Hugo spritz, featuring Txakoli wine from the Basque province of Biscay, elderflower, a homemade, slightly pickled cucumber soda and a mint garnish. Past creations, meanwhile, have included the likes of a dill and strawberry spritz (Martini Fiero is infused with the drink's namesakes then mixed with prosecco and soda water) and a take on a 'pirlo' (a spritz from Brescia that swaps prosecco for local still wine) with Lugana DOC, banana bitters and banana water made using the flesh and peel. It has a vegetal flavour in all the best possible ways.
Dante, New York
Dante is an airy 68-seat bar combining two storefront spaces in a 1900s corner building
Credited with reviving the classic negroni in the US, Dante in New York's Greenwich Village is all about aperitivo. The café-cum-cocktail bar serves up an impressive selection of vermouths, martinis and spritzes accompanied by equally inspired snacks ranging from burrata to artichoke frittata and eggplant caponata. There's a raspberry Aperol and a rhubarb spritz, but it's the strawberry and tomato spin on the cocktail that's got our vote, favoured for its winning combination of Lillet Rosé, Cocchi Rosa, bitters, tomato, clarified strawberries, balsamic and Perrier for a touch of fizz. The fact that everything's served up within fabulously NYC interiors – all white subway tiles and hanging pendant lights – is a bonus.
Caffe Fernet, Singapore
The airy bar and terrace of Caffe Fernet overlook the Marina Bay Promenade
Promising 'Italian spirit, Singapore soul', Caffe Fernet layers warm Mediterranean hospitality with cool Asian surroundings with unrivalled views of Marina Bay Sands. Elegant bar bites aside – think mushroom arancini, steak tartare bruschetta, calamari fritti, pomodoro meatballs and charred octopus – there's an innovative Earl Grey spritz made using gin, Earl Grey tea, peach, prosecco and soda. Naturally, there's an Aperol spritz and Singapore sling if you're that way inclined, as well as a garibaldi also starring Earl Grey.
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