Campari Spritz

The Campari spritz pairs vibrant orange hues with sparkling sweetness: a refreshing Italian cocktail made for sipping! You’ll need just 3 ingredients for this delightful drink.

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In the mood for a refreshing drink? Try a Campari spritz! Alex and I are big fans of this bitter and bubbly drink that mixes the popular aperitif with sparkling wine and soda water. It’s a play on the ever popular Aperol spritz where the bitter notes shine!

What we love about this drink: As two cocktail experts and certified mixologists, Campari is one of our favorite ingredients to play with, and we love a good Campari cocktail! This one is a fun change up from the Negroni or Americano. Of course if you’re not a fan of bitter flavors, we recommend hitting up that Aperol spritz instead. Both are in our repertoire of favorite summer cocktails to sip al fresco!

Ingredients in a Campari spritz

A Campari spritz is spin on the popular Aperol spritz, an Italian aperitif made with Aperol. The spritz was invented back in the 1800’s in Italy as a way to water down sparkling wine by mixing in water. But it wasn’t until the 1950’s that the Aperol spritz took the form it has today. A Campari spritz swaps in Campari into the traditional formula. Here are the 3 ingredients you’ll need:

1. Campari: This Italian amaro—bitter liqueur—is also known as an aperitif, a liqueur meant to drink before a meal. We love its bright red color and its complex, extremely bitter flavor. While they’re in the same family, Aperol is much sweeter!
2. Sparkling wine: Use either Prosecco or champagne: we like Prosecco because it has a great flavor and is typically more economical. Another option is sparkling rosé!
3. Soda water: Use club soda or unflavored sparkling water (we use our SodaStream to make it at home).

🍾 Tip: A 750 ml bottle of Prosecco is 25 ounces, enough for 8 drinks. If you’re making 2 drinks, a mini bottle is perfect—it holds 187 mL or about 6 ounces!

How to make a Campari spritz: step by step

The Campari spritz is so easy to make: there’s no real technique involved at all! Just stir ingredients and top with bubbles. Here are the basic steps (or skip right to the full recipe):

• Stir: Stir the Campari in a glass with ice to make it cold.
• Top with bubbles: Add the Prosecco and soda water.
• Garnish: Squeeze in juice from a lemon or orange wedge and serve.

Step it up: try clear ice!

If you really want to take your Campari spritz over the top, try making clear ice! This ice is crystal clear, with none of the cloudiness of normal ice. You can cut large chunks and they look just like a fancy bar! All you need is 24 hours and a small cooler! Go to How to Make Clear Ice.

Campari vs Aperol: what’s the difference?

You know Aperol from the Aperol spritz, but guess what? Campari has been around even longer. What’s the difference of Campari vs Aperol? They’re both Italian aperitivos meant to be served before a meal, and they’re even sold by the same Italian company (Gruppo Campari). Here’s the difference:

• Campari is bright red and tastes very bitter, with sweet notes like cherry, clove, cinnamon and orange peel. It has a higher alcohol content (48 proof). Campari was invented in Italy in the 1860’s, and it’s used in classic cocktails like the Negroni and the Americano.
• Aperol is bright orange and consider more “easy drinking” than Campari: the flavor is sweeter and more balanced, with notes of herbs. It has a lower alcohol content (22 proof). It was also invented in Italy, but years later in 1919.

Cousin drinks to the Campari spritz

There are several drinks related to the Campari spritz! If you like this one, you’ll love:

• A classic Americano uses Campari, sweet vermouth, and lots of soda water.
• The Negroni Sbagliato is a favorite of ours: it’s a spin on the classic Negroni using Prosecco that we like even better than the original!
• The Aperol Spritz aka Spritz Veneziano is sweet, herbal and bubbly: it really is as good as all the hype.

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