Venetian Spritz Recipes

Steps:

• Fill a wine glass halfway with ice. Pour over aperitivo; top with prosecco and club soda. Stir once and garnish with grapefruit and skewered olive. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• In a rocks glass over three or four ice cubes, pour the prosecco, a dash of sparkling water and the Aperol, being sure to follow that order lest the Aperol sink to the bottom without mixing. Garnish with a slice of orange, a twist of lemon (or both) and an olive.

Steps:

• The perfect Spritz is prepared in a wine glass, or rock. Add ice, Prosecco, dash of seltz and top with Aperol. This is to avoid that the Aperol settles on the bottom. Garnish with a slice of orange. The origins of this drink are not known but it is widely believed that the Spritz was born during the 19th century Austrian occupation of Italy. Its name, in fact, may derive from the German verb spritzen meaning "to spray" or might be linked to the name of specific Austrian wines of the western region of Wachau. German soldiers soon got used to drinking local Venetian wines at the many taverns, but the alcohol content, so much higher than the beer they would drink back home, made them dilute it with water. Thus was born the "straight" Spritz that is still found in some bars of Trieste and Udine. With time the Aperitivo ritual of northern Italy spread to the rest of the country, and with it the variants of the original Spritz. Many Venetian towns had their own specific variant, and many interpretations of each kind. However, in the last decade the Aperol Spritz with Prosecco has become the most popular one; fresh, sparkling and light- the ideal early evening drink. But the Spritz isn't only an Italian phenomenon. Recently, both the Spritz and Aperol are starting to take hold in many different countries, including the US. For example, in the smash hit "Meet the Parents" starring Robert de Niro, Barbra Streisand, and Dustin Hoffman, the latter offers De Niro an Italian Spritz instead of his usual Tom Collins.

Steps:

• Start by pouring the Aperol into a champagne flute.
• Next add the prosecco.
• Top with sparkling water or soda water and garnish with a half slice of orange.
• Stir very gently so as not to dissipate the bubbles.