Sunday, March 4, 2012

Drink This: The Spritz

  The hottest cocktail in Torino right now is the Spritz. It's defiantly not new, it's been around since 1950 but it's had a resurgence and has taken over aperitivo hour in the city. It's a bright orange flavored concoction that looks like it would be tangy like orange juice but really is a touch bitter making it a pleasing unisex grown-up cocktail.

A couple of months ago my good friend Jen (hi Jen!) took me for a birthday drink and we both ordered Spritz(s). When we sat down we realized that everyone else had ordered a spritz as well. The entire bar had neon orange drinks at every table. This is when I knew the Spritz had taken over our city.

 Still puzzled as to just what it is? Here is the description from the Aperol website: "The name says it all: Aperol is the perfect aperitif. Bright orange in color, it has a unique taste, thanks to the secret recipe, which has never been changed, with infusions of selected ingredients including bitter and sweet oranges and many other herbs and roots in perfect proportions. Aperol’s strength is in its low-alcohol content of only 11 percent."

APEROL SPRITZ

APEROL SPRITZ

3 parts Prosecco
2 parts Aperol
1 splash of soda or seltz
Ice, half a slice of orange.

3 comments:

LeeJTyler said...

Dear Chelsea,
I just saw your HGTV INT'L (and was thinking of a way to find your vintage shop online. Google-vintage-Torino-voila! I read your blog all the way through (back for 2nd tomorrow). I love your door posts; I would do the same thing. Do post if you hear of the woman under the tram/bus. It was weird seeing the views from your apt on tv and then this incident on your blog. But back to clothes and eating! Lovely suggestions and I'm already an Etsy member so I tweeted an item on your shop. I think you must be living the dream. I fell in love with Paris (North, South, hilltop villages, traveling around by myself-my friend from ee-bitzy age lives there) but I think I would never leave Torino. One your registration; remember the workers that are working at the DMV's in US just ACT like they are on strike!! Warm regards and do let us know if there is a spritzer bottled (though I have your recipe) in the US that you hear of (Much belated happy birthday!) Warm regards, Lee Jenna Tyler

Italian Postcards said...

Lee Jenna, Apologies for this belated return comment, I really JUST saw it. So cool you saw the show and found me! Thank you for the Tweet! Twitter is the only media Im not doing at the moment, how do you like it? There is a spritzer in a bottle but I don't think that Americans would love it, too bitter. Anyways, lovely to 'meet' you!
Chelsea

Lee Jenna Tyler said...

Oh, just left a long info message re: your 'expansion' into Twitter, proved I wasn't a robot (:) and it didn't go through. I'll look again when I get back; if it's not on I'll type it up again. My ? to you was, have you ever tried 'kir'? I had a magical night in Arles right by 1 c. remains in an Italian (how ironic) restaurant with kir (yes, there were people there as well, but the kir...! ;) Actually, I am not an alchie though I do sound like one, don't I?? Will check back, Lee