Universal Spritz Recipe
It would be appropriate to start the second part of the article with a recipe for the Spritz cocktail. It is very easy to remember, since the proportions are almost always the same, only the components change – liqueur and sparkling wine:
- 2 parts of liqueur (or aperitif, depending on the recipe)
- 3 parts of sparkling wine
- part of carbonated water (not mineral)
- Ice
- Decoration (lemon, orange, a sprig of rosemary …)
Just one recipe allows for many variations:
- with liqueur (which was mentioned in the previous article)
- with sparkling wine (usually brut is taken, but semi-dry sparkling wine is also allowed, for those who like it sweeter)
- and even water (for example, you can replace carbonated water with Schweppes for a more expressive bitterness).
History of the aperitif Aperol, Campari and Select
Campariappeared earlier than all the others – in 1860. It was created by Gaspare Campari, who founded the eponymous company Gruppo Campari near Milan. In Milan itself, Gaspare opened his own bar, where you could taste the liqueurs he created himself. The bitter and expressive aperitif quickly became popular in Italy, and since 1926 Gaspare stopped the production of all liqueurs except Campari, and focused on making his company known throughout the world.
Aperolwas created in Padua by brothers Luigi and Silvio Barbieri in 1919, after 7 years of experimentation. In the post-war period, the drink quickly became popular in Padua and Verona, but the cocktail with prosecco appeared in 1950. In 2003, the Aperol brand was bought by the above-mentioned Gruppo Campari, which, after a large-scale advertising campaign, made the Aperol Spritz cocktail one of the most famous and popular in the world.
Select appeared a year later, in Venice (that’s why Spritz with it is called Venetian), at the Fratelli Pilla & Co liqueur factory. It took the creators 9 months and 30 aromatic components to develop the composition of the aperitif, which was initially served in its pure form, and since 1970 has become one of the types of Spritz cocktails. Today, the Select brand belongs to the Italian Gruppo Montenegro.
The difference between Aperol, Campari and Select
The first is, of course, the composition, which is kept secret for all three products. Only the main ingredients are known, which are most pronounced in the taste, and which can be determined by carefully tasting the three cocktails.
Taste
With Aperol Spritz, the cocktail turns out sweeter than the other two, and due to this sweetness, its bitterness seems less pronounced. The most pronounced citrus notes here are bitter orange and grapefruit, which are complemented by a characteristic note of cinchona bark, which is also part of its composition. Of the known ingredients, the basis of Aperol is:
- Bitter orange is the main and most striking component in the taste
- Cinchona
- Gentian
- Rhubarb
- Various roots
- Spices
With Campari, the cocktail is an acquired taste – the most bitter and the strongest, due to the highest strength of the liqueur, as well as the longest bitter (in a good way) aftertaste. Because of its pronounced bitterness, sweetness in this cocktail fades into the background. Citrus notes with bitterness (bitter orange) are felt less, giving way to cinchona and bitter medicinal herbs. The composition of Campari is similar to Aperol, its difference is probably provided by other technologies used in production (distillation with aromatic components or their maceration), and other proportions of components:
- Bitter orange peels
- Cinchona tree
- Gentian
- Rhubarb (the least pronounced shade)
- Roots
- Bitter herbs
Cocktail based on Select in bitterness is between Aperol and Campari and has more a distinct note of rhubarb and sweet spices. Here are its famous ingredients:
- Rhubarb – processed separately, which gives the liqueur a characteristic taste and a pinkish hue
- Wormwood
- Bitter orange
- Juniper
- Spices: coriander, cloves
Unlike the two previous cocktails, the Select version is garnished with an olive instead of an orange.
Color
Different technologies applied to the components individually affect the color. Thus, the color of Aperol has an orange tint, Select is deep red, with a pinkish raspberry tint reminiscent of the color of rhubarb, and Campari is deep bright red.
Photo:
https://www.camparigroup.com/
