41 Vegetarian versions of classic recipes

Recipe: A Limoncello Spritz From Manly's Henry G's To Pair With Pintxos

We all know that a well-chosen tonic is key to a great G&T, but you might be less aware of the mixer's role in layered cocktails. Case in point: the spring-ready limoncello spritz with Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic at Henry G's in Manly. It's a balance of bright citrus and lowkey sweetness, with some added surprises in there too.

"It is ever so slightly saline," says Pete Jenkins, director of Saga Group, which also runs Donny's, In Situ, Market Lane Live and other in-demand spots around Manly. "We are obviously by the sea, and we embody that flavour profile in everything we do. We also utilise elderflower for floral high notes and then add a few extra bits and pieces to make sure everyone has a good time."

A boutique wine parlour, Henry G's boasts nearly 200 drops with a strong focus on coastal European vineyards. It's named after Henry Gilbert Smith, who built much of early Manly and was passionate about French and Spanish wines. Since opening at the end of 2023, the cosy 60-capacity space has made a name for itself with cocktails featuring grape spirits like cognac, grappa and vermouth, as well as citrus and floral notes.

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"We do everything as close to perfect as possible," Jenkins says. "We only use high-end products, which includes the best tonic we can find. We also love sustainability, ensuring waste is kept to a minimum."

That ethos is reflected in the house limoncello spritz. It uses what staff have dubbed "choppingcello", a house limoncello made with citrus parts discarded from the chopping board. To that lemony base they add Massenez elderflower liqueur, Il Follo extra dry prosecco and a generous splash of Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic, plus some fresh lemon juice, a dash of lemon bitters and a lemon twist to garnish.

"We love high notes of elderflower in our cocktails," says Jenkins. "Those floral elements, along with the bitterness of the tonic, really help grow that limoncello from a syrupy, citrusy drink into something moreish and quaffable."

The same goes for the prosecco. "It's a quintessential Venetian-style prosecco that, again, leans into a very citrusy space. And the daisy notes in there play with the elderflower so perfectly. We're pretty chuffed to see those elements interplay."

While Jenkins's recipe uses his homemade choppingcello, if you're not up for making your own, feel free to use a store-bought limoncello – but be ready to add more lemon juice to balance out the sweetness. And while you can use any prosecco (or sparkling wine in a pinch) he does recommend choosing something extra dry, ideally from the Veneto region.

But for the tonic, Fever-Tree Mediterranean is a must. "It has a lower quinine level, which we love in this space. We're already getting a lot of bitterness from the homemade limoncello because we don't remove any of the pith from the citrus."

Henry G's is a proud participant in Fever-Tree's Perfect Serve program, which partners with top bars to ensure staff are slinging the absolute industry standard for gin and tonics. While Perfect Serve encourages drinkers to choose their own measure of tonic, for Jenkins, the perfect serve is a full bottle.

At Henry G's, that means you get 45 millilitres of Plymouth gin with a 200-millilitre bottle of Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic served on the side, along with sea salt and two lemon wheels to garnish. "I do believe it's really important to use a full bottle of tonic to 45 mils of gin. You don't have to think too hard to make a perfect gin and tonic, if you just follow the directions."

The same goes for the limoncello spritz, where the Mediterranean tonic provides a crucial balance to the cocktail's citrus flavours.

Makes 1 serving. Approx. 1.2 standard drinks.

Ingredients:

30ml limoncello15ml Massenez elderflower liqueur90ml Il Follo extra dry prosecco15ml fresh lemon juiceA dash of lemon bittersFever-Tree Mediterranean tonic, to top

Method:

Build limoncello, elderflower liqueur, prosecco, lemon juice and lemon bitters in a wine glass filled with cubed ice. Top with Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic to your liking, then garnish with a twist of lemon.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Fever-Tree. The Perfect Serve is available at Henry G's and Martinez in Sydney; The Farmer's Wife in Allworth, NSW; and Beverly, Jackalope and Caffe e Cucina in Victoria. Order a drink from the Fever-Tree Perfect Serve menu and your tonic will be served on the side to create your perfect ratio.

Produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Fever-Tree.Learn more about partner content on Broadsheet.

Douglas Blyde Samples Colin Field's Iconic Limoncello Spritz At Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria

At Sorrento's most majestic grande dame, the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria — presided over by the Fiorentino family since 1834 — I savoured the iconic Sorrentino Cocktail.

Crafted by the illustrious Colin Field, hailed by Forbes as the "best bartender on Earth", this original limoncello spritz was born 12 years ago in La Pergola, the hotel's intimate bar and wisteria-fringed terrace. Field's creation, framed in a broad wine glass, encapsulates the essence of the Tyrrhenian Sea in each sip, drawing from the hotel's own limoncello, pressed from lemons handpicked in their sea-salted grove, a fragrant enclave where Roman ruins lie like jewels in a lemon-scented Pompeii. Six gardeners tend to these trees, and beside the pool, a villa remnant, and an ancient well in the cellar, lend the hotel a museum-like splendour, as Peter Fiorentino, sixth-generation guardian of this palace, explained to me over a glass.

Field's rendition of the spritz is, predictably, an ode to simplicity — devoid of frivolous mint or superfluous soda, and uncompromisingly free of added sugar. A hearty pour of pure limoncello, topped with crisp, quality Prosecco and garnished with a few slender slivers of lemon — or as Field calls it, a "lemon marmalade" — creates a taut, refreshingly complex drink, worlds apart from the saccharine "happy hour" imitators hawked in the bustling alleys nearby.

Colin Field, a polyglot mixologist of rare charisma and gravitas, hails from Rugby with a South African father and German mother, and has an instinctive ability to make stars feel like regulars — and regulars like stars. He first arrived at Excelsior Vittoria during the Ritz Paris's 2012 renovation, temporarily leaving behind the storied Hemingway Bar with its eccentric collection of gramophones and shark jaws for this seaside sanctuary. His influence is evident in the work of Francesco Cardinale, formerly of Hakkasan Mayfair and one of the hotel's 220 staff who graciously tend to its 200 guests. "Colin's a magician who makes everything look easy," Cardinale muses, stirring the limoncello spritz with respectful care.

A hearty pour of pure limoncello, topped with crisp, quality Prosecco and garnished with a few slender slivers of lemon creates a taut, refreshingly complex drink

Fiorentino, reflecting on Field's first visit, remembers, "I was only thirteen then."

Field's legacy endures with a new creation celebrating the hotel's 190th anniversary this year. Enter the bionda Sorrentina, a shorter, bolder cocktail featuring the estate's oranges over lemons, alongside the wintery il tasso caldo, named for the hotel's neighbouring square. Served warm, with limoncello, vanilla-infused vodka, Chantilly cream, and lemon zest, the latter reinvents the idea of a hot cocktail with a texture as seamless as the view across the Gulf.

Perched 50 metres above the sea with a view over the hectic piazza, the refreshed La Pergola bar now features a bespoke portrait of Queen Vittoria of Sweden, the hotel's illustrious namesake. This regal setting is the perfect stage for Field, who, when not mixing drinks, scales cliffs with the same intensity he brings to his craft. "When I'm 150 metres up, all I see is the next 20 centimetres. By the time I reach the top, I'm shaking!" he says. Fiorentino loves Field's energy: "When the bar's quiet, he'll even pull guests from the dining room to make them cocktails…"

Created by the dashing Don Vincenzo Staibano — a legendary playboy and distiller — this amaro revives a secret recipe born on Capri in the 1940s. Infused with peppery rocket leaves, zesty Amalfi lemons, and a blend of herbs and roots, it's best savoured over ice with an orange twist, or as a unique vermouth substitute in a Negroni.

Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio, Mastroberardino 2020

Made from Piedirosso - its name a nod to its red stalks, said to resemble pigeon feet - this cherry and plum-scented red is crafted by the tenth-generation Mastroberardino family. Steeped in history, they've also been entrusted with reviving Pompeii's ancient winemaking traditions, replanting vineyards destroyed by the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

The Spritz Is The Fastest Growing U.S. Cocktail. Here Are 10 Ways To Make It

A bartender makes a Campari Spritz

Campari

The summer of the Spritz may be coming to an end but the dominance of the carbonation and citrus-forward cocktail continues. The Spritz was one of the 10 bestselling cocktails at bars and restaurants in the U.S. And is increasing in popularity faster than other top 10 drink according to NIQ.

The Spritz is generally defined as a cocktail that combines sparkling wine, bitters and soda water, but some variations leave out one or more of these ingredients. According to cocktail lore, the Spritz emerged in the 1800s in the Veneto region of Italy. Austrian soldiers in the region were unaccustomed to the strength of Italian wine so would dilute it with a drop of water, or what the Germans called a "spritz." By the early 1920s, in Venice, local bitters were added to the Spritz and eventually over time, the still wine was replaced with a sparkling wine (this is traditionally Prosecco).

One of the many things, I love about the Spritz is how easy most Spritz recipes are to make. This makes it a safe bet to order at a bar that doesn't have the most advanced beverage program and a great home cocktail for non-mixology-obsessed drinkers.

The Spritz twists featured in this article range from the classic Aperol Spritz, my favorite overall, to more bitter Campari Spritz to the lemon-forward Le Moné Spritz as well as tequila-, limoncello- and coffee-forward takes on the cocktail. Enjoy!

The Aperol Spritz

The Aperol Spritz is the best known Spritz variation.

Aperol

Ingredients

3 Parts of Cinzano Prosecco D.O.C.

2 Parts of Aperol

1 Part of Soda Water (served from a siphon or chilled bottle)

1 Slice of orange

Method: Fill a wine glass with ice. Then combine 3 parts of Cinzano Prosecco D.O.C. Followed by 2 parts Aperol. Add 1 part or a splash of soda water, stir gently if needed, and garnish with an orange slice. The result should be a uniform, perfect orange color.

Chambord Spritz

The Chambord Spritz.

Chamboard

Ingredients

1 part Chambord Liqueur

3 parts white wine

2 part soda water

Method: Add Chambord and wine into a glass. Top with soda water and garnish.

Le Moné Spritz

The Le Mone Spritz.

Le Mone

Ingredients

1 ½ oz (or equal parts) Le Moné

1 ½ oz (or equal parts) Prosecco

Method: Pour equal parts Le Moné with equal parts prosecco over ice. Garnish with green grapes and lemon.

Cynar Spritz

Ingredients

3 parts of Cinzano Prosecco D.O.C.

2 parts parts of Cynar

A dash of soda

1 Slice of orange

Method: Take an ice-filled wine glass, then in sequence pour the Cinzano Prosecco D.O.C. And add the Cynar.Complete with a dash of soda. Gently stir all the ingredients.

The Amante Spritz

Amante 1530's eclipse inspired Spritz.

Amante 1530

Ingredients

2 parts Amante 1530

3 parts Prosecco

1 part high-quality soda water.

Lemon garnish

Method: Gently combine all parts over ice in a large wine glass. Give one squeeze to an Amalfi lemon wedge and drop it in.

Pallini Spritz

Pallini developed this versino of the Spritz that can be easily turned into an NA drink.

Pallini

Ingredients

2 parts Pallini Limoncello

3 parts Prosecco

1 part Sparkling water

Lemon or Orange slice for garnish

Method: Add all the ingredients in a large wine glass filled with ice and garnish with lemon or orange slice. You can also make a great non-alcoholic version of this drink by using non-alcoholic sparkling wine and the Pallini Zero Spritz.

Ruby Grapefruit Spritz

This verison of the Spritz uses grapefruit for its citrus.

Mommenpop

Ingredients

2 oz Mommenpop Ruby Grapefruit

2 oz Mommenpop Sparkling Rosé or other sparkling wine

Method: Combine all ingredients in a wine glass. Add ice to mix. Garnish with a fresh grapefruit slice or peel.

Grand Brulot Coffee Spritz

This coffee-forward Spritz is an intersting take on the cocktail.

Grand Brulet

Instructions

1 oz Grand Brulot cafe liqueur

1 oz Aperol

3 oz sparkling wine

Orange wheel, garnish

Method: Build in a wine glass over ice

PATRÓN EL CIELO Spritz

This Spritz is perfect for tequila lovers.

Patron

Ingredients

1 oz PATRÓN EL CIELO

2 oz chilled Pinot Grigio or Provençale Rose Wine

3 oz chilled Ginger Ale

Method: In a white wine glass with cubed ice, build all ingredients and stir to combine. Garnish with a fresh orange wedge - squeeze and drop into the glass.

Little Death

Created by Daintree Rooftop and Lounge in New York City.

The Little Death is an innovative new take on the Spritz.

Juliette

Ingredients

0.5 oz Juliette Peach Liqueur

1 oz Lo-Fi Gentian Amaro

0.25 oz Ginger Gyrup

0.25 oz Cucumber Syrup

0.5 oz Lemon Juice

Top: Champagne

Method: Fill your glass with ice. Add the Juliette Peach Liqueur, Lo-Fi Gentian Amaro, lemon juice, cucumber syrup, and ginger syrup. Gently stir, then top with champagne of choice and garnish with a cucumber ribbon.

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