Who thinks of summer in Italy thinks of the mythical orange fizzy drink: the Spritz.
Its name comes from the German verb spritzen, which means “to spray”. It was used at the beginning of the 19th century by the Austro-Hungarian troops stationed in the Lombard-Venetian Kingdom to dilute the wines of that region with sparkling water.
Subsequently this custom took root in the territory and evolved to become the famous drink of excellence that represents the Italian summer in the world.
Let’s talk now about the Hugo Spritz, also called Spritz Bianco. This drink originates from Alto Adige and competes with its orange sister in popularity since it is highly fashionable in bars all over Europe.
According to Mixology magazine and Der Spiegel, its creator was bartender Roland Gruber, a bartender from Naturno in 2005. He was apparently looking for an alternative to Spritz. As a curious fact, the drink should have been called Otto Spritz, but he decided on Hugo because it sounded better.
Although there are several types of preparation, the original recipe for the Hugo is this:
• 15 cl of prosecco
• 2 cl of melissa syrup
• one splash of soda
• mint
• to decorate: a lemon wedge
So what will you order at the bar this summer? A Hugo or a Spritz? ????