Episode 53: How the Venetian Spritz became synonymous with the Good Life in Northern Italy and beyond..
Welcome to Episode #53:
Have you ever wondered how the effervescent Spritz drink customarily enjoyed at Aperitivo time in Italy became a cultural icon? Once a purely Northern Italian cocktail and now very much a sign of the Good life wherever you are.
On my recent adventures in Italy I fell hard for the bitter sweet Aperol Spritz number and started to wonder how it came to be, and why mostly the word Spritz was not exactly sounding like the pure sweet notes of Italiano. So I went on a little journey to discover how the Spritz became the drink of the Veneto region in Italy and beyond.
At the Bar Margherita in the Piazza della Frutta in Padova….In the heart of Padova (Padua) where the aperitivo Aperol was produced back in 1919 by two brothers Luigi and Silvio Barbieri. And in the glass the classic Aperol Spritz, part Prosecco, part soda water and part digestive bitter liquor that turns this drink into a clever bitter and sweet cocktail🍹
It’s rise to success was slow and steady until post World War 2 when the Barbieri brand made its happy rise in Northern Italy as the tide turned for the country. Since then, Campari noted it’s popularity and bought out the Barbieri Group, taking it to the next level with colourful and fun advertising for the good life.
In Italy the good life is a given, yet certainly the Spritz has garnered global attention too. Recently I turned my preferred red wine away and often drank Lo Spritz, not every time but certainly more than ever before while in Italy. I took to aperitivo time with sweet abandon, between the Americano, the Negroni, the Spritz Aperol and a Garibaldi cocktail somewhere in Bologna, it was great fun.
On the Fondamenta Misericordia at the Ristorante 'Levante', just enjoying the scenery and waiting for my Fritto Misto to arrive, one of my favourite places in Venice....Shownotes:
100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go: Includes Budget Tips, Maps, Online Resources & Golden Days by Susan Van Allen - Where I got the tip to visit the restaurant Isola di Caprera in beautiful Padova/Padua….
Cinnamon and Salt: Cicchetti in Venice, Small Bites from the Lagoon City by Emiko Davies
Lunch at the Isola di Caprera in Padova, where I had the most wonderful discussion on Italy and the city of Padua with one of the locals that day...
Just near the Rialto Market in Venice where its customary to stop for an Aperol Spritz or a white wine at 11.45am and a small plate of Venetian snacks that have been deep fried or made fresh Cicchetti style....The beauty of this Aperol number is it’s low ABV so you don’t end up just floating away. No less the Italians I love for their digestive bitters and the smarts to concoct a drink that literally opens your stomach readying it for digestion, hence “aperto” translating to open, and the cultural moment in the day where you stop for an Aperitivo, the pre dinner, or pre lunch drink, or with breakfast (if in Venice!!) to prepare your stomach for more. Pure genius 🍹🍹
In the seaside resort town of San Margherita in Liguria, before lunch on the perfect Sunday afternoon in ItalyMusic Composed by Richard Johnston
In the Dorsoduro District after visiting the Peggy Guggenheim MuseumCopyright 2022
All Artwork and Podcast Material
That Negroni Cocktail I mentioned that nearly blew my head off, it is a shame I didn’t think to ask for no straw, odd how these things don’t occur to you while on holiday!