They’re baaaack….

They’re fresh and fizzy and fun. They’re light and refreshing on hot summer afternoons.

They’re spritzers, and we’re such huge fans of them that we’ve decided to declare this season the Summer of Spritzers.

The spritzers we’re talking about are descendants of the wine drinks made famous (some say infamous) in the 1980’s. Back in that diet-crazed decade, some wine drinkers added ice and seltzer water to their glasses in order to tamp down the vino’s calories and alcoholic punch. Eventually, serious wine aficionados took issue with those alterations (sacré bleu!), and the spritzer fizzled out.

Fast forward to today, where we think that – especially in the summer – keeping drinks light and low-alcohol is a good thing. No, make that a great thing. We believe there’s no shame in adding soda water to your wine to lighten the potency and to add a lift! We believe there’s no shame in adding ice cubes to your glass, to keep the chill up and the power down! Especially when you use the right ingredients.

We hope you agree, and will join us in this Summer of Spritzers!

Herewith, our guidelines for making tasty spritzers that you can drink with pride.

Basic Spritzer Recipe:
Add equal parts fresh & fruity still white wine (see below for our picks) and soda water to a glass over a few cubes of ice and stir. Garnish, if you’d like.

Already have a bottle of fizzy wine – or just want to add more character to your glass? Just add juice, and/or a low-alcohol aperitif.

Best wines for spritzing:
Choose fresh & fruity whites and rosés such as riesling (dry and off dry), chenin blanc, gewurztraminer and gruner veltliner — essentially anything but chardonnay. If you want to start with bubbles, look for prosecco, lambrusco, cava, cremant d’alsace.

Best garnishes for spritzers:
For white wines, lemon, limes and grapefruit. For rosé, try fresh strawberries and cherries. Leafy herbs, such as mint and basil, work best for both.

Great additions:
Grapefruit juice, lemonade, St-Germain, Aperol, Cocchi Americano, Lillet Blanc & Rosé, Plymouth Gin

Helpful hints:
-Play with your ratios to suit your mood.
-To ensure optimal fizz, pour still ingredients first. Finish/top off with the bubbles.
-Be sure to use fresh soda water – no one likes a limp spritz!

Bottles’ Favorite Spritzers

The KaiserSpritzer
Add to a glass filled with ice 3oz of Gruner Veltliner, a big splash of St-Germain and 2oz of soda water. Stir, and garnish with fresh mint.

The Eastside Spritzer (aka Bottles’ House Spritzer)
Combine over ice in a tall glass 4oz of white wine, 2oz of soda water, a pinch of sugar and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Stir and drink deeply.

The Aperol Spritz
To a rocks glass filled with ice add 2oz Aperol, 4oz prosecco and 2oz soda water. Stir, and garnish with an orange slice.

Enjoy your Spritzing!

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