Everyone nowadays knows what Aperol is. But why do we call it Spritz?

To answer this question, we must go back to 1805 during the Napoleonic wars when the Austrians and Hungarians took ownership of the Veneto region where Venice is located. Prosecco comes from originates from this area. During the occupation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austrians took the local Italian wine and, because it was too alcoholic for their taste, they added a splash of water or “Spritz” in German, to dilute the wine. Over time, the dash of water added became sparkling water.

With the years, sparkling wine imposed itself and consumers blended the wine with various liqueurs. Sparkling wine became Prosecco. The first match between Prosecco and a liquor brand was in 1920 with the brand “Select”. Select is a Liquor from Venice created in 1920 but nowadays, it does not have the same appeal as Aperol.

The Aperol brand was also created in 1920 but it is only in the 1950s that the brand started to grow in popularity as an alternative to the usual Venetian mix of white wine and soda or Prosecco combined with Select. Aperol started to showcase the 3-2-1 recipe of Prosecco, Aperol and soda water. They have linked the Aperol to the Spritz and the Aperol to Prosecco. In 2003, Campari Group acquired Aperol, making it an international success story.

The recipe:

1. Use a double old fashion glass or a nice big wine glass;
2. Add a maximum of 4 ice cubes;
3. Add 6cl of JAYA Prosecco Brut DOC or JAYA Spumante;
4. 4cl of Aperol that you will pour in circle over the Prosecco and ice;
5. Complete the drink with a “Spritz” by adding a splash of soda water and stir;
6. Add a slice of orange and one or two olives on a stick. Keep it simple and do not use a straw.

The story behind the Negroni Sbagliato (which means “mistaken” in Italian) began in 1972 in “Bar Basso” a bar in Milan, in which the bartender, Mirko Stocchetto, accidentally used spumante, sparkling wine instead of gin in a customer’s Negroni. Of course, the customer sent the cocktail back, and after tasting it for himself, Stocchetto then realised that he had made a wonderful discovery. The Negroni Sbagliato arose from this “mistake”.  

The recipe:

Use a traditional glass and add ice cubes.

1. Add 3 cl of Campari, 3 cl of sweet Vermouth and 3 cl of JAYA Prosecco Brut DOC or JAYA Spumante;
2. Stir it all a little with a spoon;
3. Garnish with orange peel and taste;