Spritz, a story to know

The Venetians in the world, this is how we could write an article dedicated to one of the most famous aperitifs that has literally conquered the world. It has practically become synonymous with the Italian aperitif. Which? But the Spritz of course. And as enthusiasts of the field, let's get on the trail of this original product.

Perhaps not everyone knows that "Spritz" is a word of Austrian origin, in fact "Spritzen" means to spray, and this is what the Austrian rulers probably did in the 19th century: they sprinkled Selz (this is also a word from beyond the Alps) on the wine white, perhaps too full-bodied in those days.

The real revolution came a few decades later, in the 1920s when the Barbieri brothers, entrepreneurs from Padua, fascinated by the French "Aperò", gave the name to their liqueur, Aperol, whose recipe still remains secret today, and which, when added to white wine and Selz becomes the Spritz.

Taking a Spritz is not simply "having an aperitif" but it is a ritual, almost an obligatory step to conclude one phase of the day and start another. It is a collective ritual that unites, a social glue, in short, an aperitif to be taken with a friend.

Where to taste the most authentic spritz? All we have to do is  to try.

What's certain is that the Spritz is global, it unites and conquers everyone and l'et's  sit at a table in Piazza delle Erbe in Padua or ata bar in a venetian Campo (square),  and order a Spritz Padua with the inevitable chips and the ham sandwich with horseradish or sit at the counter of a Venetian tavern, there are numerous Malvasia streets that remind us of the sale of wines and liqueurs and savor the Venetian "Spritz" accompanied by an inevitable plate of “cicheti”.

The arduous sentence is yours.

The taste and pleasure of knowing its history will certainly win.

In the meantime, however, in Venice, always in that period of time, in a remote corner of the city, in the Pilla distillery, Select is produced and also this new liqueur, the recipe of which is rigorously kept confidential, is added to the white wine and Selz.

The “Goto”  de vin (glass of wine) and the “Ombra”  (shadow)de vin, as they are called respectively in Padua and Venice, will no longer be the same from that moment on.

And let's imagine, hidden in the back rooms, like contemporary Merlin Wizards, mixing the three components in very calibrated percentages, the hosts start a real war over the paternity of the Spritz. There are those who add Cynar, also a local bitter, those who add Bitter, a foreign liqueur as they say in these parts... Milanese, those who add a slice of orange, finally, those who, like the purists, only add wine and soda .

The recipes remain in the custody of those who create them and each bar, wine shop and wine shop has its own formula... which is obviously the original one.

Taking a Spritz is not simply "having an aperitif" but it is a ritual, almost an obligatory step to conclude one phase of the day and start another. It is a collective ritual that unites, a social glue, in short, an aperitif to be taken strictly in company.

Where to taste the most authentic spritz? All we have to do is try.

What is certain is that the Spritz is global, it unites and conquers everyone and all that remains is to sit at a table in Piazza delle Erbe in Padua, once with a corner dedicated to wine and still today surrounded by historic wine bars, and order a Spritz Padua with the inevitable chips and the ham sandwich with horseradish or sit at the counter of a Venetian tavern, there are numerous Malvasia streets that remind us of the sale of wines and liqueurs and savor the Venetian "Spritz" accompanied by an inevitable plate of “cicheti”.

The arduous sentence is yours.

The taste and pleasure of knowing its history will certainly win.