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Is The Spritz Breaking Up With Aperol?
Prosecco has a new BFF.
It may sometimes seem as if the Aperol Spritz was the first spritz ever, but of course, it was not. A spritz is a category of wine-based cocktails, sometimes also called a spritzer. Long before most of us in the U.S. Knew about the Aperol Spritz, often served in Italy as an aperitivo, we knew about white wine spritzers, perhaps because your grandma, mom, or aunt drank them in the late 1900s.
It wasn't until the Aperol Spritz burst into our collective consciousness in the early 2000s (even though the cocktail has been around since the 1950s) did the word "spritz" become a common word in our cocktail vocabulary.
And well it should have. The combination of Prosecco, bittersweet Aperol, and club soda served in a wine glass with an orange slice is often summed up in one word: refreshing.
But variety is always a good thing, and while the Aperol Spritz isn't going anywhere anytime soon, there's a new spritz that has cocktail lovers excited this summer, the Hugo Spritz.
What Is a Hugo Spritz?Substitute the Aperol in an Aperol Spritz with an elderflower liquor, such as St‑Germain, and the orange slice for a lemon slice and a few mint leaves, and you have a Hugo Spritz. The cocktail has taken over social media this hot summer as an alternative (not a replacement) for the Aperol version.
On TikTok, The Spritz Effect says this cocktail that's super popular in Italy is her most requested cocktail at the moment. The change from Aperol to St. German takes the drink from bittersweet to what she describes as "floral and sweet."
How to Make a Hugo SpritzFor her version, The Spritz Effect muddles mint leaves in a 1/2 ounce of St-Germain right in a wine glass. (Which, honestly, makes us a bit nervous. If you're using a fragile wine glass, you might want to do the muddling in a cocktail shaker, then pour the liquor and the muddled mint into the wine glass before adding the remaining ingredients.) She then adds ice, 4 ounces of Prosecco, and 1 ounce of club soda. She garnishes the drink with a lemon slice and a mint sprig.
Many of the people in the TikTok comments mentioned that they've had the drink flavored with non-alcoholic elderflower syrup rather than St-Germain, which would give the same flavor profile but make a lower-ABV cocktail.
Whether you use the elderflower liquor or the syrup, consider switching up your spritz game this summer and trying the popular Hugo Spritz.
A Viral TikTok Video Just Revealed Everyone Hates Aperol Spritzes
Are Aperol Spritzes Actually Gross?Zbynek Pospisil / iStock / Getty Images Plus; @louislevanti on TikTok
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There are few beverages that scream summer as much as Aperol Spritzes do. You can find bright orange, umbrella-covered carts hawking the iconic cocktail all across Europe. And you'd be hard pressed to look at an American restaurant's happy hour menu without seeing one. There's a reason why many have dubbed it the "drink of the summer" for the past several years.
Part of its appeal is the vibrant orange hue it gets from Aperol, an Italian bittersweet spirit that's been sipped for over a century. But, as it turns out, it also seems to be the source of a divisive argument about the drink's overall merits.
That's right: the Aperol Spritz has turned into a polarizing cocktail.
As the spritz skyrocketed to mainstream popularity in 2019, The New York Times published a scaldingly hot take that dragged it. Author Rebekah Peppler made waves by asserting that the Aperol Spritz isn't that great, comparing the flavor to "a Capri Sun after soccer practice on a hot day. Not in a good way."
Peppler's opinion drew both support and ire from the public, but it wasn't enough to stop the Aperol Spritz's trajectory into the zeitgeist. But now that the rose-colored (or orange-colored) glasses are off, more people are rising against the summer sipper.
There's been a rise in TikToks about drink being bad, and users are flooding the comments section to validate the negative opinions. One user wrote, "I feel like I'm drinking Dayquil every time I have one."
Another chimed in, "Literally convinced everyone pretends to like them."
I decided to open the discussion to our team of food experts at Delish. And it's safe to say we're divided.
"I'm sorry (not really) but it tastes like carbonated cough syrup to me... But maybe I never had a good one," says our assistant social media editor Izabela Campos.
"I actually find them too bitter," says our editorial director Joanna Saltz. "And for a drink that freaking red, it shouldn't be that bitter."
On the other hand, we have plenty of Aperol Spritz lovers in the office. "I am appalled that people are saying they are gross," says our digital food producer Camille Lowder.
Much of the controversy when it comes to the beverage revolves around the Aperol. Some people find it too sweet, while for others it's far too bitter. But according to our social media editor Sam Caccamise, the ingredient that makes or breaks a good Aperol Spritz is actually the sparkling wine.
"I firmly believe you MUST have a very dry champagne or prosecco if you are having one," she says. And I'm inclined to agree. You can't expect a bottom shelf tequila to make a stellar margarita—the same goes for the wine in any spritz.
If you're still a staunch defender of the Aperol Spritz, we commend your commitment. But we're here to help steer all of the haters towards a better beverage for their palates.
If you think the Aperol Spritz is too sweet for your taste, try experimenting with other Italian aperitivos. A good baby step toward appreciating bitter drinks is Amaro Montenegro, which almost resembles a Coca-Cola when stirred into a spritz.
Our contributing assistant food producer Mackenzie Filson opts for a Campari Spritz more often than not. Other amari like Cynar and Averna are commonly stocked behind the bar and can make a refreshing, less sweet spritz.
If you think Aperol is too bitter, try the increasingly popular Hugo Spritz, also known as the St. Germain Spritz. This cocktail swaps out the bright orange aperitivo for a French elderflower liqueur that's significantly more palatable. We've even gone so far as to name it 2023's drink of the summer—it's that good.
What are your thoughts on the Aperol Spritz? Let us know in the comments.
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What To Know About The Hugo Spritz—The Drink Of The Summer
ToplineTikTokers and food bloggers alike have declared the Hugo spritz—a blend of prosecco and elderflower liqueur that's being praised for its low alcohol-by-volume and refreshing flavor—the drink of the summer.
TikTokers and food bloggers alike have declared the Hugo spritz—a blend of prosecco and elderflower ... [+] liqueur that's being praised for its low alcohol-by-volume and refreshing flavor—the drink of the summer.
getty Key FactsItalian bartender Roland Gruber is often credited with creating the Hugo spritz—which has also been called a St. Germain spritz and an Otto spritz throughout the years—in 2005 as a lighter alternative to the Aperol spritz, according to Wine Enthusiast.
It's not clear exactly how the Hugo spritz blew up this summer, but publications including Delish and Better Homes & Gardens began declaring it the drink of the summer in May due to its rise in popularity on social media; at one point, the drink had more than 290 million views on TikTok.
Better Homes & Gardens credited pop culture's renewed focus on Italy—through television shows like The White Lotus and Stanley Tucci's Searching for Italy—for the drink having a moment, but others say it's simply time America has caught onto Europe's love of spritzes in general.
In the United States, people began searching for the Hugo spritz online in late February, and interest steadily increased before taking off in June and hitting its peak popularity in the first week of July, according to Google data.
The Hugo spritz (front) has proescco, elderflower liqueur, club soda, mint and lime.
getty How To Make ItThough spritz recipes traditionally use the 3-2-1 method, meaning three ounces of prosecco, two of an aperitif and one of club soda, most Hugo spritz recipes online divert slightly from that. To make the drink of the summer, fill a wine glass halfway with ice, pour in 1/2 ounce of elderflower liqueur—like St-Germain—or syrup if you want a version with less booze, then top with 4 ounces of prosecco and one ounce of sparkling water. Bartenders recommend you stir it and garnish with a lime slice and fresh mint before serving. If you want to make the drink a little stronger, some recipes recommend adding 1/2 ounce of gin.
Past Drinks Of The Summer
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