There are two types of people: those who love the spirit as the main ingredient in a cocktail, and those who prefer to cover up the alcohol flavor with citrus or fruit juices. Cocktails of the first type are called “spirit-forward” (= spirit-oriented) and include time-honoured drinks such as the Dry Martini, Old Fashioned or Manhattan. The second type includes all sours, but also classics such as the Daiquiri, French 75 or Margarita.
But there is also a third category. The namely the Cocktails with a slightly lower alcohol content. The latter due to the fact that they are not based on spirits (which have an alcohol content of 40 percent or more) but on vermouth or liqueur (which are usually around 22 percent or lower). For example, such drinks are ideal for aperitif invitations and are generally better suited to the hot summer weather. Yes, you know what we’re talking about: Aperol Spritz and its relatives. But there are many more:
A classic in Portugal, this drink is as simple as the name suggests.
6 cl dry white port
tonic water
orange wedge
Pour the port into a highball or rocks glass filled with ice cubes, top up with tonic and stir gently. Garnish with an orange segment.
Dry sherry has been wrongly forgotten as a cocktail ingredient. This 19th century aperitif offers complex flavors that remain wholesome and enjoyable.
4 cl dry sherry
4 cl dry vermouth
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash of orange bitters
lemon zest
Pre-chill the cocktail glass with ice (or immediately in the refrigerator). In a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes, mix the sherry, vermouth, angostura and orange bitters and shake well for 30-45 seconds. Strain into the cocktail glass and garnish with a slice of lemon zest.
Let’s not be fooled by the name! This elegant drink has no British roots, but was first mixed in Philadelphia in the 1930s and named after the inventor’s wife.
4 cl dry vermouth
2cl Benedictine
2 cl freshly squeezed lime juice
Pre-cool the cocktail glass with ice cubes or (if your freezer compartment is big enough) in the freezer. Put all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes, shake vigorously and strain into the cocktail glass.
This original version of Negroni was invented in the 1860s by Gaspare Campari, the inventor of the bitter liqueur of the same name. The Americano was like this for a long time Milan-Turin known because Campari comes from Milan and Punt é Mes, the red vermouth originally used for this, comes from Turin.
3cl Campari
3 cl red vermouth
some club soda
orange peel
Pour Campari and vermouth into a highball glass filled with ice cubes, top up with soda water and stir gently. Spray with a piece of orange peel and add to the drink.
White Negroni fans might enjoy this twist on Americano. Here the French gentian liqueur Suze is used and the red vermouth has been replaced by white.
3 cl Suze
3 cl white vermouth
mineral water
grapefruit peel
Pour the Suze and Vermouth into a highball glass filled with ice cubes, top up with soda water and stir gently. Sprinkle with a piece of grapefruit zest and add to the drink.
A two-ingredient cocktail recipe is always a good idea, and this 1800s classic is a particularly elegant option.
4cl Fino sherry
4 cl red vermouth
orange peel
Combine the sherry and vermouth in a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes and shake well for 30-45 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a slice of orange zest.
Ah, you mean Campari orange? Yes. To a certain extent. Only Dante’s Bar in New York, where the drink is said to have originated during World War I, is it named after the legendary Italian guerrilla fighter. Which is definitely cooler.
4cl Campari
freshly squeezed orange juice
Pour Campari and a small splash of OJ into a highball glass filled with ice cubes and stir. Fill the glass with orange juice.
One of the oldest cocktails in the world, dating back to 19th century London’s Pimm’s Oyster Bar.
5 cl Pimm’s No. 1
approx. 13 cl lemonade (or, less commonly, ginger ale)
Lemon, cucumber, fresh mint and possibly strawberries for garnish
Fill the shot glass with ice cubes, add Pimm’s and lemonade. Garnish with a wedge of lemon, a slice of cucumber and a few strawberry wedges.
Today, the sbagliato, the most famous Negroni variant, actually originated as a result of a mistake when Mirka Stocchetto used Basso Spumante instead of gin in Milan’s bar in 1972. Since then, the ‘wrong’ drink has enjoyed great popularity as a light drink. , sparkling summer drink.
3cl Vermouth Rosso
3 cl Campari Prosecco, Franciacorta or good sparkling wine
Orange wedge (or orange peel)
Pour the vermouth and campari into a whiskey glass filled with ice cubes. Top up with sparkling wine and stir gently. Garnish with an orange segment.
4cl Campari
8cl bitter lemon
1 splash of grapefruit juice
slice of grapefruit
Pour ice into a highball glass or wine glass. Top up with Campari and bitter lemon. Add a splash of grapefruit juice. Garnish with a slice of grapefruit.
Perhaps unexpected as a cocktail ingredient, the Stelvio Pass’s rustic Alpine Amaro is perfect with a spritz.
Prosecco of 9cl
6cl Braulio
some mineral water
lemon zest
sprig of rosemary
Pour Prosecco and Braulio into a large wine glass filled with ice cubes and top up with mineral water. Stir gently. Garnish with a piece of lemon zest and a sprig of rosemary.
Not unlike the Aperol Spritz, this quintessentially Italian drink replaces Aperol with its more bitter cousin, Campari, and Prosecco with a mix of dry white wine and mineral water.
6cl Campari
1 dl dry white wine (e.g. Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc)
Mineral water
Fill a highball or wine glass 3/4 full with ice. Add the wine and Campari and fill to the brim with soda water. Stir gently. Garnish with two orange segments.
Yes, you know her from what feels like hundreds of thousands of corporate aperitifs and wedding receptions and the like. Easily digestible and completely basic bitchig (because there is actually nothing wrong with that). There are:
Aperole Spritz
6cl aperol
Prosecco of 9cl
possibly some soda water
orange wedge
Fill a large wine glass (or that officially sponsored Aperol spritz glass you recently stole from your corporate event) with ice cubes. Add all ingredients and stir gently with a bar spoon. Garnish with an orange segment.
Hugo
2 cl Saint Germain elderflower liqueur
1 dl prosecco
5cl soda water
mint, lime
Put a few mint leaves in a large wine glass and fill with ice cubes. Slightly swirl the glass so that the coin rubs along the inside edge of the glass. Add the remaining ingredients and garnish with 1-2 lime wedges.
Lillet Live
5cl Lillet Blanc
10cl tonic water
Slice of cucumber, sprig of mint and pieces of strawberry for garnish
Fill a large wine glass with ice cubes, add the ingredients and garnish with a slice of cucumber, a sprig of mint and pieces of strawberry.