The Bubbly Spritzes You'll Be Sipping On All Summer Long

Light, bright, and refreshing, a spritz is the ultimate easy-​drinking summer cocktail. It's a great way to enjoy the season's freshest flavors, and its low alcohol content makes it perfect on a warm day.

"I am a huge fan of always having a spritz on a cocktail menu because it's a gateway to underappreciated spirits, like vermouth, amari, and herbal liqueurs," says Tim Kweeder, the general man­ager of Bloomsday Café in Philadelphia, where the Amara Spritz featured here was created. (That's right; wine spritzers don't have to include Aperol.)

Spritzes are a blend of sparkling wine, spirits, and fruit. But you can use flavored sparkling water instead of wine, try different liqueurs to change the taste, and add whatever fruit sounds good. Start with one of the quick and easy mixes at right, then play around and create your own spritz concoctions. (

Amara Spritz

Ingredients

• 1 oz. Amara Arancia
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup
• 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
• Ice
• 1 oz. sparkling wine
• Splash of club soda
• Large strip of zest from an orange

Directions

1. Add 1 oz. Amara Arancia (blood orange liqueur), 1/2 oz. simple syrup, and 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters to a cocktail shaker.
2. Fill with ice. Shake until well chilled, then strain into a wine glass filled with ice.
3. Top with 1 oz. sparkling wine and a splash of club soda, and gently stir. U
4. sing a peeler, remove a large strip of zest from an orange. Twist zest over glass, and drop in.

Recipe by Patrick Bransfield from Bloomsday Café

(Ready for round two? Make one of these fruity cocktails with your leftover orange.)

Tropical Campari Spritz

Ingredients

• Ice
• 1 1/2 oz. Campari
• Lime round
• 4 oz. pineapple-flavored sparkling water
• Pineapple wedge

Directions

1. Fill a wineglass with ice, and add 1 1/2 oz. Campari.
2. Squeeze a lime round into the glass, and drop it in.
3. Then top the drink with 4 oz. pineapple-flavored sparkling water, gently stir, and garnish with a pineapple wedge.

Rosé-Strawberry Spritz

Ingredients

• 2 hulled and thinly sliced medium strawberries
• 4 fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 oz. ginger simple syrup (recipe below)
• 1 1/2 oz. vermouth
• Ice
• 3 oz. rosé
• Slice of crystallized ginger

Directions

1. Add 2 hulled and thinly sliced medium strawberries, 4 fresh basil leaves, and 1/2 oz. ginger simple syrup (recipe below) to a wineglass.
2. Holding the bottom of the glass to secure the stem, muddle the berries and herbs. Pour in 1 1/2 oz. vermouth.
3. Fill the glass with ice. Top with 3 oz. rosé, gently stir, and garnish with a slice of crystallized ginger. (Steal these tips to use up the rest of your basil and the other herbs wilting in the fridge.)

Ginger Simple Syrup

Ingredients

• 1-inch piece of ginger
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water

Directions

1. Thinly slice a 1-inch piece of ginger, and place in a small saucepan with 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water.
2. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
3. Remove from the heat, and let cool completely. Strain ginger slices before using.