Select Spritz — The original Venetian spritz, and the one that takes an olive

Select Spritz

The original Venetian spritz, and the one that takes an olive

Number of people

Ingredients

  • 3 ozProsecco
    Cold, poured over ice first
    Substitute: Any dry sparkling wine
  • 1 ozSoda Water
    A splash, added last
  • 2 ozSelect Aperitivo
    Added after the prosecco
    Substitute: None that keeps the Venetian version

Instructions

  1. Fill a wine glass with ice and pour in 3 oz cold prosecco
  2. Add 2 oz Select and a 1 oz splash of soda
  3. Stir gently and garnish with a large green olive

Technique Notes

The olive is not a garnish you can swap for orange. Select is more bitter and less sweet than the orange aperitivi, and the brine is what the drink is balanced against; an orange slice makes it taste unfinished.

Why the Select Spritz Works

Select is drier and more rhubarb-led than the orange aperitivi, which is what lets the olive work: brine against bitterness rather than brine against sugar. The same olive in an orange spritz tastes like a mistake, and that is the clearest evidence these drinks are not interchangeable.