Drinks Doctor: How can I boost my spritz menu?
Add a twist to your spritzes by looking at the balance of ingredients, says Zoe Burgess, director at Atelier Pip
The spritz, a summer icon, is evolving. While recent years have been dominated by the iconic bittersweet Aperol spritz, we are starting to see this cocktail category open up, and other ingredients and flavours are being explored, which helps to lend itself to occasions beyond enjoying while basking in the sunshine. With the goal of creating a more personalised spritz moment for your venue and guests, below are a few key considerations on how to twist this cocktail.
Understanding the structure of a cocktail is key if you wish to evolve it. The structure of a cocktail refers to the arrangement and relationship between a drink's ingredients. A well-structured cocktail tastes balanced; that means the sensation of alcohol combined with the basic tastes of sweet, sour, bitter and in some cases salt and umami are all in proportion. That's not to say they should all taste equally as strong as each other, but that the sum of their parts creates a harmonious experience. Aromatic profiles feed into this base structure, contributing to an overall pleasing flavour.
Looking at the structure of a classic Aperol spritz, we have two parts Aperol, three parts Prosecco and one part soda. The Aperol provides alcohol content to the drink, along with bitterness and sweetness plus fruity and herbal aromatics. The Prosecco provides a touch of alcohol along with some sweetness and acidity as well as a refined textural experience from the fizz. Soda water opens up the flavour of this cocktail, providing dilution to keep the experience light and fresh.
Keeping it simple is always the best approach when it comes to twisting cocktails, as changing one ingredient at a time allows you to review the full impact of that change.
For instance, by splitting the traditional measure of Aperol over the blanco tequila, dry vermouth and a touch of elderflower cordial, we can create a refreshing, aromatic and sophisticated agave-based spritz. Or a drop of absinthe brings a fresh green aromatic note to a peach spritz, elevating it into something with a little edge and elegance.
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