You may remember our adventure into the Cartizze hills in the Valdobbiadene region of northern Italy where we were fortunate to stumble upon the finest organic Prosecco being produced at the Pdc vineyard by winemaker Pietro De Conti (you can read about it here). Reminiscing about a northern summer spent wandering vineyards and sipping on a Prosecco Aperol Spritz to keep cool, we were inspired to create this classic Italian aperitivo in the depths of the Australian winter.
With a few bottles of Prosecco still unopened, ample supplies of winter grapefruit even after a cake baking spree (see our Coconut, Grapefruit & Chocolate Cake and Grapefruit & Almond Cake with Vino Cotto recipes) and a Honey & Walnut liqueur from South Australia’s Kangaroo Island, the Back 2 Basics Winter Grapefruit Spritz was born!
According to Katie Parla at eater.com, the origin of the word “spritz” dates back to 19th century with the Austro-Hungarian custom of adding a splash (aka spritz in German) of water to northern Italian wines. Wikipedia notes that this was started during the Habsburg domination in Veneto where Italian wines were too strong for the palates of the provinces of the Habsburg occupiers.
Traditional Spritz is made with Aperol, which is a slightly bitter orange-red liquor. According to the Campari Group, the owners of Aperol, traditional Aperol Spritz is made of 3 parts dry Prosecco, 2 parts Aperol liquor and 1 part soda.
Here is our winter Spritz version, minus the ice of course, that uses grapefruit juice to add a slightly bitter citrus tang and the magical Kangaroo Island Kis walnut and honey liqueur instead of Aperol. Combined with the finest Pdc dry Prosecco the slightly bitter fruit flavours balances perfectly with the honey sweetness. This is the perfect winter aperitivo to enjoy in front of a fire while reminiscing about old traditions and warmer weather.
Ingredients (per glass)
- 60ml fresh grapefruit juice
- 120ml Pdc Cartizze Dry Prosecco
- 30ml Kis Honey & Walnut Liqueur
- 120ml Sparkling Water
Method
1. Pour grapefruit juice into a large wine glass.
2. Add Pdc Prosecco.
3. Add Kis Honey & Walnut Liqueur.
4. Pour in sparkling water.
5. Mix together with a spoon and serve.
Even we were unsure how this Spritz would turn out, but you can be sure this will not disappoint. It ranks as one of the best Aperitivo we have ever tasted.
Buon Aperitivo.
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