Lambrusco Spritz

Name: Lambrusco Spritz
Yield: 1 drink
Ingredients: Ice; 1 1/2 ounces amaro, such as Averna, Montenegro, or Nonino; 1/2 ounce fresh grapefruit juice; 3 ounces dry or off dry Lambrusco; 1 ounce sparkling water, to top; 1 grapefruit wedge; 1 to 3 Castelvetrano olives, for serving

By Rebekah Peppler

Rating: 4(817)
Notes: Read community notes

Think of this as a grown-up, but not too grown-up, spritz. Here, grapefruit brightens and plays up the wine’s light bitterness, while buttery green olives add a touch of earthy brine and serve as a welcome snack. Reach for a lighter, sweeter, more citrus-leaning amaro, to avoid masking the bubble’s nuance. For Lambrusco, seek dry or off-dry bottles, and commit to tasting a few until you find what you like. Two to start with: Lambrusco di Sorbara, which is the lightest in color and flavor, with high acidity and plenty of aromatics, and Lambrusco Grasparossa, which is dark in color and bold in flavor with dry tannins and rich berry notes.

Featured in: Day Drinking, Italian Style

or to save this recipe.
Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
Subscribe
Share
Print Options
Include recipe photo

Ingredients

Yield:1 drink

Ice
1½ounces amaro, such as Averna, Montenegro, or Nonino
½ounce fresh grapefruit juice
3ounces dry or off dry Lambrusco
1ounce sparkling water, to top
1grapefruit wedge
1 to 3Castelvetrano olives, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Add the amaro and grapefruit juice to an ice-filled wine glass or lowball glass. Pour the Lambrusco and sparkling water over top. Stir gently, then add the grapefruit wedge. Add in the olives to taste. Serve immediately.

Ratings

4 out of 5

817 user ratings

Have you cooked this?

Private Notes

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Cooking Notes

H.B.3 years ago

I live in Italy, in the North, birthplace of the Spritz and the aperitivo all'italiana. The amaro for a Spritz amaro is Campari; others (Montenegro/Averna) are digestives for after dinner. The only other Spritz amaro here uses Select Spritz, a lot like Campari but a bit sweeter, that until recently you could only find in Veneto. Aperol for a Spritz Aperol. Three ingredients: Campari/Aperol, a sparkling white, and sparkling water. With either an orange slice or an olive. That's it. Fabulous!

Equilibrist3 years ago

Apparently you haven’t read this author’s takedown of the aperol spritz as a “bad drink.”

Davide3 years ago

I'm coming back home to bologna from a shattered Rome left empty by tourists.. I'm glad to read the piece on Lambrusco on the NYT paper edition inspiring new ways I've never heard of drinking the wine my family used to produce in Sorbara. I'll try it.. Despite a suggestion coming from so far away.. The peasant used it also in a stranger way.. They poured Lambrusco in the tortellini broth during the summer to cool down the temperature and to speed eating. Maybe too distant from the Spritz.

Marco Vinovenerdi3 years ago

Not all amari are alike. Experiment is key. Personally, I prefer the Montenegro from Bologna.

Dana3 years ago

I think blood orange juice would taste good in this drink!

Moe3 years ago

This was so very good. Refreshing for a hot Texas evening. And not sweet...which is a big plus in my book. I made a pitcher for me and mine and scaling up worked out just fine. The olives added nothing and i wouldn’t use them again...and that is the testimony of a sworn lover of olives.

Kyla3 years ago

What about pomegranate? Or lime juice?

KateNYC3 years ago

You can parse the ingredients all you want, but this was delicious!

laurabootsy2 weeks ago

Next time I’ll use tamarindo Jarritos instead of grapefruit juice.

Patty1 month ago

Made this with aperol and orange juice instead of grapefruit and enjoyed it very much! Similar to sangria, but not too sweet.

erica2 months ago

This has become a household staple in rotation* for a languid drink on a hot summer evening. We zhush it up with not just the olives but some olive brine too for extra depth. *the sbagliato has earned its own spot on the 2024 playlist of evening cocktails, joining this one and the maligned aperol spritz…

KE2 months ago

I made this for a group of friends; we all agreed that it basically tasted like a sangria. I like sangria, but this isn’t how I would choose to make it. For us, good but not great.

Ryan Monaghan3 months ago

This was a super delicious beverage for before dinner. So refreshing and not sweet (I find many spritzes too sweet) Simply lovely. Although I agree with the other commenter that personally I didn’t think the olives brought anything to the game.

c3 months ago

This cocktail was delicious! I was skeptical on the proportions, and after a few sips I did add more soda for a longer sipper. We used Amaro Amara D'Arancia Rossa, and it was so crispy & refreshing. We’ve since tried this with Dillion’s black walnut Amaro, and although it added a nice nutty flavour, the rossa was elite. Do the olives need to be there? Technically, no, but the snack at the bottom of the glass is a delightful treat which I will continue to indulge in. Olive type does matter here!

SM3 months ago

Someone talk me into the olives… I’m skeptical.

SN3 months ago

This drink sounds amazing. Alas I cant have grapefruit because of the meds I'm on. Any suggestions for a substitute?

Murphy3 months ago

Faccia Brutto aperativo is great. Pour it over rocks with a citrus peel and Lambrusco or just soda water. A super answer to a hot summer evening.

jj3 months ago

does this recipe lend well to batching?

Good with blood orange5 months ago

Used blood orange instead of grapefruit juice (but used grapefruit seltzer) and substituted Amaro Strega. Delicious for an afternoon pick-me-up. Like a drier, fresher sangria.

EE note2 years ago

1oz aperol .5oz Campari 4oz Lambrusco maglieri

Essey2 years ago

To my taste, an Aperol Spritz, is not a patch on a Campari Spritz. Also, the colour! Good for your twenties and then grow out of.

Anna P2 years ago

Delicious drink. Even more so with a splash of olive brine in addition.

Jenn2 years ago

Loved this!! Was it a traditional spritz? No. Was it a delicious spritz? YES!! I used Amaro Meletti. And really...is there anything in the world that isn't better with Lambrusco?

Private notes are only visible to you.