spritzer

wine and sparkling water

The simple Spritzer—a bit like a wine sling or highball—began in Austro-Hungary as a way to lengthen and lighten the local wines into something more like beer, for easier, more refreshing drinking. This practice remained popular in northern Italy after reunification, and there, in the early twentieth century, variations incorporating vermouths and amari emerged. Two important examples of these variations are the Americano and Aperol Spritz. The spritzer also remains popular in Austria to this day, and the “wine cooler” that was common in the USA in the 1980s can be viewed as a (degenerate) commercial variation.