“Europeans have been enjoying the aperitivo life for over 150 years,” says Naren Young, head bartender of New York’s Dante cocktail bar. Dante’s Al Fresco Spritz, which melds spritz-forward cocktail culture with bygone traditions of large-format punches and sociable tippling, is precisely what its name suggests: a slightly sweet, slightly herbaceous, effervescent cocktail best sipped outdoors, slowly and all day long. Or, as Young describes it, “a low-octane drink that allows you to laze around all day.”
Al Fresco Spritz
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
6 ounces Martini & Rossi Bianco vermouth
3 ounces St. Germain
2 ounces Bombay Sapphire gin
1 ounce lime juice
Cucumber bitters
Ice
Perrier
Prosecco
Green fruit garnishes
Preparation:
1. Add the first four ingredients to a pitcher filled with ice. Add a few dashes of cucumber bitters.
2. Top with equal parts Perrier and Prosecco.
3. Garnish with green grapes, lime wheels, kiwi slices, star fruit, green apples and cucumber slices.
4. Pour into highball glasses with a cucumber/lime wheel and plastic stirrer.
