It’s funny how the Aperol Spritz has become the Kleenex of lo-fi sipping — meaning it’s so ubiquitous on menus, it’s nearly a generic ask. We have nothing against a good Aperol-prosecco-club soda combo, but the thing is: the spritz, as a cocktail category, is truly a choose your own adventure kind of drink.
Choose something a little bitter, maybe a something a little sweet. If you want to up the octane, add a judicious ounce of your spirit of choice. The sky (and the glass and your preferences in it) are the limit.
This week, we’ve been particularly enjoying this riff on the spritz using smoky mezcal melding with floral St.-Germain liqueur and peach pureé (’tis the farm stand season for the latter). While you can, of course, use your favorites, if you’d like to adhere to the ingredients in the recipe, both the Del Maguey Vida Mezcal and Otto’s Athens Vermouth are available at Bridgehampton Wine Cellar and Hampton Wine Shoppe in Westhampton Beach. The rest is pretty easy to pick up without much of a hunt.
Give this make-it-in-the-glass summer sipper a whirl — or, perhaps, map out a spritz sojourn of your very own.
Kythira
Ingredients
- 1 oz Del Maguey Vida Mezcal
- 3/4 oz St.-Germain Liqueur
- 3/4 oz Otto's Vermouth
- 1/2 oz fresh peach puree
- 1/4 oz honey syrup (or agave syrup)
- 3-4 oz brut-style Prosecco
- 1 oz club soda
- 1 dehydrated orange
Directions
- In a shake with ice, combine the mezcal, St.-Germain, vermouth, peach pureé and honey or agave syrup. Shake until well combined and chilled.
- Strain into an ice-filled wine glass. Top with Prosecco and club soda. Garnish with the dehydrated orange slice. Cheers!
