Skip to main content

Toast to a sparkling weekend with these tasty spritz alternatives

Ketel One Botanical
Ketel One Botanical

When it comes to warm weather drinks, there’s one which has taken the world by storm in the last decade and shows no sign of abating: the Aperol Spritz. But as great a drink as that is — and it really is great, from its complex bittersweet flavor to its delightful bright orange hue — it’s made practically everywhere now. If you love a spritz but fancy trying out something different for this long weekend, then the good news is that there are plenty of other spritz recipes out there for you to try.

Most spritzes will keep the essentials of sparkling wine plus something sweet and something bitter or sharp, but from there the choice truly is endless — even allowing for the inclusion of spirits. These recipes use Ketel One Botanical, a series of flavored vodkas, to give both botanical notes and an alcoholic kick to the other fruity spritz ingredients.

Recommended Videos

Peach Botanical Spritz

Recipe by Ketel One Botanical

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz Ketel One Botanical Peach & Orange Blossom
  • 0.5 oz Orange Juice
  • 0.3 oz Peach Liqueur
  • 0.3 oz Lemon Juice
  • 3.0 oz Soda water or Sparkling Wine

Garnish: Peach slice

Method:

  • Fill a white wine glass with good quality ice cubes.
  • Add all ingredients, stir gently, and garnish with a peach or orange slice.

Botanical 75

Recipe by Ketel One Botanical

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz Ketel One Botanical Grapefruit & Rose
  • 0.5 oz Fresh lemon juice
  • 0.3 oz Rose syrup

Top with Sparkling Rosé

Garnish: Grapefruit peel

Method:

  • Combine Ketel One Botanical, lemon juice, and rose syrup in a cocktail shaker with good quality ice cubes.
  • Shake and fine strain into a flute glass.
  • Top with sparkling rosé and garnish with a grapefruit peel.
Georgina Torbet
Georgina Torbet is a cocktail enthusiast based in Berlin, with an ever-growing gin collection and a love for trying out new…
Celebrate the Campari Spritz at this NYC event
Campari Spritz

New York is getting a spritz-themed takeover, as aperitivo brand Campari is setting up a Campari Spritz Square in downtown NYC. The weekend of June 14 and 15, the 171 E. Broadway hub within Chinatown and the Lower East Side will host a weekend dedicated to all things Campari Spritz, including art and jewelry displays, a live DJ, and of course food and music.

The idea of the event is not just to highlight the drink -- which is a bitter, more bracing alternative to the ever-popular Aperol Spritz, that you'll see enjoyed all over Italy -- but also to promote the Italian aperitivo culture which involves small snacks and light cocktails for the early evenings before a meal.

Read more
I’m going to be drinking this refreshing spritz all summer long
Lillet

The spritz is an iconic summer drink, but my very favorite type of spritz isn't made with Aperol -- instead, it uses Lillet. If you haven't tried Lillet before, it's a little like vermouth, but with a hefty bitter edge from quinine that I love. If you enjoy the bitter and refreshing edge of tonic water, then I reckon you'd love Lillet Blanc too.

My usual go-to Lillet spritz recipe is equal parts of Lillet and sparkling water, plus an absolute ton of cucumber slices, all served in a big copa glass over a large ice cube. I find that the cucumber gives a crisp, juicy addition to the drink and makes for a lovely low-ABV sipper.

Read more
Learn to love cognac with these beginner-friendly cocktail recipes
Courvoisier

Cognac is one of those spirits which you've heard of but even the experienced bartender might not be so familiar with. Though it has a fancy reputation, you needn't be scared of mixing cognac into cocktails, as its intense and rich flavors work well to easily elevate even simple mixed drinks into something special.

As today is National Cognac Day, below we have two recipes to share which make use both Courvoisier, a premium French coganc, and Grand Marnier, a cognac and orange liqueur, that can ease you into the delicious world of this classic French spirit.

Read more