The Italicus spritz is a refreshing sparkling Italian cocktail made with Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto liqueur. This spritz cocktail, with delicate notes of bergamot, citrus and herbs, is an elegant take on this popular cocktail.
Fond of Italicus drinks? Try my bergamot and camomile gin sour.
🔍 Recipe Snapshot:
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 2 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 1
- 📊 Calories: 266 kcal per serving
- 👩🍳 Flavour Profile: Bergamot, citrus, herbs. Reminiscent of earl grey tea
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
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Why I Love Italicus Spritz
- Refreshingly different: Aperol spritz is nice, but sometimes a change is welcome. This spritz cocktail is an alternative to rave about.
- Quick & easy: Ready in just a couple of minutes and it's assembled directly in the serving glass.
- Exquisite unique flavour: This Italicus drink is subtly flavoured with bergamot, citrus and herbs.
What Is Italicus Liqueur?
- Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto is an Italian liqueur with flavours encompassing bergamot, camomile, lavender, rose petals, aromatic herbs and gentian root.
- It is a relatively lightweight liqueur with ABV 20% and Italians often enjoy it as an aperitif.
- Italicus can be served neat or over ice and it's a great addition to cocktails.
Ingredients Notes
Italicus Liqueur: You can't make this Italicus drink without the namesake liqueur. Although you'll rarely find it in the supermarket you can pick up a bottle of Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto online.
Italian sparkling wine: Spritz cocktails are commonly made with Prosecco but feel free to use any dry sparkling Italian white wine.
Soda water: Just a splash is needed, but it makes all the difference. If you don't have some to hand use water, but expect your drink to have slightly less fizz.
How To Make Italicus Spritz (Step-By-Step Instructions)
Full instructions and measurements are given in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1. Pour the Italicus liqueur into an empty glass.
Step 2. Add the Prosecco followed by the soda water.
Step 3. Now carefully add lots of ice to your spritz cocktail - fill the glass right up.
Step 4. Garnish with a wheel of lemon and a strawberry. Serve immediately.
Expert Tips
- Add the ice after pouring the liquid ingredients into the glass: This order is vital to ensure that the ingredients all mix together well.
- Use large ice cubes rather than crushed ice: Crushed ice melts too quickly, leading to an overly diluted drink.
- Place the ice in the glass carefully: Dropping ice cubes in without caution risks the glass breaking.
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm not one for sweet cocktails but I do enjoy this Italicus drink. It is a little sweeter than an Aperol spritz as it doesn't have the bitterness associated with Aperol. However, it is not as sweet as a Hugo spritz.
I do not recommend making this spritz cocktail in advance as the effervescence of the Prosecco and soda water would diminish as it is stored. It is also not a good idea to make a pitcher of spritz as it would get overly diluted sitting in a jug with ice ahead of being poured over ice in a glass. Again, the bubbles would be lost as well.
A large wine glass is ideal but you could also opt for a Copa glass or even a highball. Pick a glass large enough to allow a lot of ice to enable your spritz to be served ice-cold.
It is difficult to make an exact non-alcoholic replica of this Italicus drink. However, I'd suggest making some bergamot syrup and use about 30ml along with 100ml Nosecco and 30ml soda water. Use lemon and fresh herbs to garnish your drink to pull together the bergamot, citrus and herb profile associalted with Italicus.
How to Garnish An Italicus Spritz
I love playing about with garnishes when I make a spritz cocktail and this Italicus drink certainly presents plenty of opportunity to ring the changes.
- Lemon and strawberry: Fresh, easy and very summery.
- Lemon and lavender: If you have some culinary grade lavender growing in your garden, it's a lovely pairing.
- Camomile & lemon: Scatter a few dried camomile flowers into the glass and tuck that lemon wheel in.
- Fresh herbs: Go with rosemary or mint.
- Switch the citrus: Use grapefruit or orange rounds in place of the lemon.
- Classic olives: Thread a couple of green olives (brined) onto a cocktail pick. Pair with orange or lemon slices.
- Other berries: Floral raspberries or blueberries are a great option in this spritz cocktail too.
Have you made this spritz cocktail? Please rate the recipe or leave a comment - I love hearing how you get along with my creations.
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📖 Recipe
Italicus Spritz (sparkling bergamot aperitif cocktail)
Ingredients
- 60 ml Italicus Liqueur
- 90 ml Prosecco
- 30 ml Soda Water
- 1 Lemon wheel
- 1 Strawberry optional
Instructions
- Pour the Italicus liqueur into a large glass (do not add ice to the glass first).
- Add the Prosecco followed by the soda water.
- Now carefully fill the glass with ice cubes.
- Tuck a slice of lemon down the side of the glass and drop in a strawberry.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Add the ice after pouring the liquid ingredients into the glass: This order is vital to ensure that the ingredients are all mixed together well.
- Use large ice cubes rather than crushed ice: Crushed ice melts too quickly, leading to an overly diluted drink.
- Place the ice in the glass carefully: Dropping ice cubes in without caution risks the glass breaking.
How to Garnish An Italicus Spritz
I love playing about with garnishes when I makew a sprtiz cocktail and this Italicus drink certainly presents plenty of opportunity to ring the changes.- Lemon and strawberry: Fresh, easy and very summery.
- Lemon and lavender: If you have some culinary grade lavender growing in your garden, it's a lovely pairing.
- Camomile & lemon: Scatter a few dried camomile flowers into the glas and tuck that lemon wheel in.
- Fresh herbs: Go with rosemary or mint.
- Switch the citrus: Use grapefruit or orange rounds in place of the lemon.
- Classic: Thread a couple of green olives onto a cocktail pick. Pair with orange or lemon slices.
- Other berries: Floral raspberries or blueberries are a great option too.
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