Don’t panic-the Aperol Spritz has not been canceled. I repeat: The Aperol Spritz has not been canceled! 

In my recent travels across Italy, the mesmerizingly bright orange aperitivo decorated café tables each afternoon. This served as my daily cue to take a break from exploring, find a seat, and take in the surroundings with my own Spritz Veneziano in hand. Piano, piano, I’d remind myself. 

I happen to love Aperol’s bittersweet flavor, but know that it is too much for some so I like to have alternatives on hand for guests. And the older I get, the less forgiving my body is toward alcohol, so low-ABV options are a welcome addition to my cocktail repertoire. Luckily, the bar & beverage world is currently experiencing a healthy low-ABV or session movement.

So when I discovered two Aperol Spritz alternatives on Roman and Amalfi menus, I had to take them for a spin. They did not disappoint. These Italian drinks are so delightful and breezy, I had to share them–recipes and all–with you!

2 Italian Drinks to Sip this Summer

Hugo Spritz

I hoped to regale you with a romantic tale of how the Hugo (pronounced “yoo-goh” in Europe) came to be. As it turns out, it was thought up in 2005 by a bartender from Italy’s northernmost province of South Tyrol. Barman Roland Gruber invented the drink as an alternative to the ever-popular Aperol Spritz, subbing lemon balm syrup for the bittersweet orange.

The fad quickly spread far beyond the Dolomites and is now a go-to throughout Italy as well as Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and my back yard. 

In what some refer to as the Alpine Spritz, the traditional base of Prosecco and soda water remains the same. Most people use elderflower liqueur, such as St. Germain more frequently than lemon balm because it is more widely available. Add your citrus of choice (I’ve seen lemon or lime) and fresh herbs (mint or basil) and ecco-you’ve got a Hugo. 

Dare I say that this citrusy, herbaceous invention is even more refreshing than its predecessor? Try these Aperol Spritz alternatives for yourself this weekend and let me know what you think.

Limoncello Spritz

This cocktail is so simple, so breezy, and so transports you to the Amalfi Coast where you obviously belong.

One of my favorite parts of traveling is learning how a place’s abundant resources define its culture and cuisine. The lemons of Amalfi are the purest example of this phenomenon. Across the Amalfi Coast, lemons are celebrated in the region’s landscape, art, and cuisine ranging from Sal de Riso’s delizia al limone, to natural seafood pairings, to liquid sunshine itself-limoncello.

Simply put, one makes limoncello by steeping lemon peel in a high proof neutral grain alcohol (often vodka or Everclear) and adding simple syrup. Unlike its apertivo counterpart, limoncello is a digestivo and thus commonly served after dinner, straight from the freezer.

In Italy, I heard a nearby tourist lament how disappointed she was in her much anticipated first taste of limoncello. Although it is quite dolce (sweet) it is also rather forte (strong). Limoncello comes in at 30% ABV versus, say, Aperol at 11%. In other words, a little goes a long way-unless you doctor it up with Prosecco and fizz! Enter the limoncello spritz: an all-day sipper you’ll find across the Coast.

I love to revisit memories by recreating flavors, scents, and settings that I discovered while traveling. Do you have cocktail or food recipes that transport you to your favorite places? Wax nostalgia for us in the comments section!

References

“Spritzvarianten des Südens (Teil 1): Der Hugo” (in German). Mixology. 27 August 2011. 

“Homemade Limoncello”. Imbibe. Retrieved 10 April 2012.

Charles Perry (September 8, 2004). “Taste of a thousand lemons”. The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 April 2012.