Venice SPRITZ the original ... !!!

Spritz (alcoholic beverage)

The Spritz (German: "splash" / "sparkling") is a wine-based cocktail commonly served as an aperitif in northern Italy, especially in the Veneto region and surrounding areas.

The drink is prepared with white wine or Prosecco wine, a dash of some bitter liqueur such as Aperol, Campari, Gran Classico, Select or Cynar.

The glass is then topped off with sparkling mineral water.

It is usually served over ice in a lowball glass (or sometimes a martini glass or wine glass) and garnished a slice of orange, or sometimes an olive, depending on the liqueur.

Another variation of the drink uses champagne with the liqueur rather than wine.

The drink originated in Venice while it was part of the Austrian Empire, and is based on the Austrian Spritzer, a combination of equal parts white wine and soda water.

More recently it became the traditional drink of the students of the University of Padua.

Aperol

Aperol is an Italian aperitif originally produced by the Barbieri company, based in Padua.

Aperol is now produced by the Campari company.

While Aperol was originally created in 1919, it did not become successful until after World War II.

Its ingredients are, among others, bitter orange, gentian, rhubarb, and cinchona.

Although it looks, tastes, and smells much like Campari, it has a higher sugar content.

Aperol has an alcohol content of 11% - a little less than half of Campari.

Campari is also slightly darker in color.

Aperol is the main ingredient in Spritz.

Critical Acclaim

Although it has not been frequently submitted to spirit ratings competitions, in two recent submissions, Aperol received high marks.

In 2007, Wine Enthusiast rated Aperol in its 90-95 point category.

At the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the Aperol received a dougle-gold medal—the highest available award