Spritz Life
Mindfully Cami’s guide to one of the world’s favourite aperitif style cocktails for everyday celebrations!
Hey Healthy Hedonists, Mindfully Cami here to talk about my personal favourite cocktail- and some might say a style of life- the Spritz! Not your classic “white wine spritzer” (although nothing wrong with that, it’s delicious and a great way to lower the ABV & calories on a glass of wine), but the jewel-coloured, sparkling cocktails we associate with Italy, France, sunshine & terraces. Not only is the Spritz categorically low ABV (and in our case often alcohol-free!) it’s extremely versatile and devilishly delicious!
A spritz is more than a cocktail it’s a way of life and celebration of the everyday!
So what makes a Spritz… a Spritz?
As with many cocktails, the Spritz most likely originated in Greco-Roman times, as a way to avoid drunkenness & improve the flavour of local wine. It wasn’t until the creation of vermouth in the 18th century, and crucially soda in the nineteenth however, that something recognisable as the modern Spritz cocktail began to show up in the hands of the socially elite. More than ‘just a drink’, the spritz and with it Aperitivo hour has become a daily ritual. So much so, that teetotallers in Venice have said that not drinking can impede them socially. At La Maison Wellness we love la dolce vita and we love Spritzes! But we don’t believe that what anyone’s drinking (or not drinking!) should deny them a seat at the table… Spritzes have been crucial in the rising popularity of lower alcohol cocktail options and we say, why stop at low alcohol?
We’ve got plenty of alcohol-free & low alcohol options for everyone to find something they like and a way to celebrate even if you’re not “drinking”
So what makes a Spritz…a Spritz…
1) That Bitter Element
Often alcohol-free cocktails are dismissed as “too sweet” or “a mixture of fruit juices”, but at La Maison Wellness we like to think we disprove the haters! Spritz' are known for their complexity and bitter undertone (a useful blueprint is 2 parts bitter, 2 parts wine or other “spirit base” to 1 part soda…) so they are the perfect option for the sophisticated mindful drinker!
Here are some of La Maison Wellness’ favourite bittering agents, to make or order your own delicious spritz for a mindful Aperitivo hour: Favourite alcohol-free aperitif
2) Bubbles
A spritz simply wouldn’t be a spritz without that sparkling element…
You want that Prosecco or non-alcoholic sparkling wine, that refreshing soda water or that flavourful tonic to lengthen your drink and allow your palate to come back to life.
Check out our blog ‘We Love Bubbles!’ for some excellent recommendations on no & low alcohol sparkling options for the mindful drinker, and get spritzing with the best of them!
3) What’s the spritz life?
In this new golden-age of cocktails there are many ways to create & serve the spritz, from the classic ratio (2 parts bitter, 1 part…) and variants on that (for example a non-alcoholic wine and perhaps a homemade fruit vinegar for the bitter element) to more avant-garde takes on the traditional formula.
Below are some of La Maison Wellness tried and tested mindful cocktails for living that spritz life… now grab some friends, maybe some Aperitivo snacks and go enjoy it!
Mindful Cocktails
Now to the fun part…Mindful Cocktails! Spritz being my ultimate favourite style of cocktail we have plenty of recipes on the website, check them out below.
