When I was in Venice last spring with my WAM Women Artists Mentors Group.  I kept noticing at every cafe, whether it be lunch or apertivo hour, people were enjoying this neon orange cocktail!  I had to find out what all the fuss was about.  I had traveled in Italy many times before but these drinks had never been on my radar.  It is the The Spritz.  

The Spritz of today has its roots in the Hapsburg occupied Northern Italy.  In the nineteenth century,  Austrian soldiers would add a "spritz" or a  spray of water to the regions wine to make it more palatable to them.  They were used to Riesling and not the drier wines of Italy.  It has gone through some other incarnations but basically The Spritz of today is three parts Prosecco, two parts bitter liquer, and one part sparkling water.  It is traditionally made with Aperol or Campari as the bitter liquer.  I like the Aperol Spritz.  It's garnished with an orange slice and sometimes in Italy a skewer with a green olive is added.  

It's a cocktail I usually make at home, since many restaurants or bars don't stock Aperol nor do they get the proportions right.  I had one once where the bar tender added plain water to Aperol and called it a Spritz; I don't think so! You can see in Italy they use a variety of different glasses to serve a Spritz. 

A recently issued book of Spritz, with a lot of nice recipes for different varieties

I find it to be super refreshing and a nice way to end the day when the golden hour strikes and it's apertivo time!  

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!  Hope you enjoyed "My Favorite Things Top Ten," plus the bonus. Cin Cin!