A Venetian excellence that has become a symbol of the international aperitif. Perhaps the best known in the world. Let's talk about the spritz, in all its declinations and variations. It finds its roots in a Venice no longer Serenissima but under Austrian domination. Simple drink in those years, alcoholic but not too much. Today it is universally widespread and has become a must to anticipate a lunch or dinner. But also to accompany an aperitif and in any case appreciated on every occasion. The spritz is the Venetian aperitif that made the world Tour.

From the shadow to the spritz, passing through the Austrian domination

Let's tell a bit of history, going back to those nineteenth century years when people still used to drink a glass of wine in the shade of the bell tower of San Marco. Precisely for this (and still today in Venice it is defined as such) a glass of wine in the lagoon city is called shadow. These were the years of Austrian domination when the soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army had learned to appreciate this custom ofshade of wine. Too bad that, for their palates not used to Venetian wines, the drink, as it was born, was a little too alcoholic. Somehow it had to be lightened to make it easier to drink. They therefore thought of extending the wine with a part of sparkling water. A splash of water. And since spritzen is called spritzen in German, that glass of wine is no longer a 'shadow but a spritz. It must be said that in Venice people still ask and drinkshade of wine, but the spritz has become something else, and that's what has been around the world.

a glass of spritz with a straw

After the Austrians, at the beginning of the twentieth century the introduction of elegant siphons for seltzer modify and refine the simple original blend, which then finds a “complete” recipe with the arrival in Venice of the Pilla distillery. Two young Bolognese brothers with a good experience in terms of liqueurs decide to set up a distillery for the production of a liqueur, the Select, in the historic Venetian district of Castello. A particular distillate composed of spices and aromatic herbs whose headquarters in Venice is not chosen by chance. The Serenissima has a tradition of trade with the East, including spices and precious herbs. The same ones that still make the flavor of this distillate unique today.

At Select, at Aperol, at Bitter, here is the spritz of modern times

Hence the very happy combination of spritz al Select, where a third of Select, a third of prosecco (or sparkling wine) and a third of sparkling water are mixed in equal quantities. And this is ultimately the recipe for the famous aperitif. The version with the spritz is certainly the most Venetian.

a spritz in the glass with olive

Then came, and perhaps today they are also the most requested, the spritz at Aperol and al Campari Bitters. The first is slightly sweeter, the second with more bitter notes. To complete the spritz is accompanied by a green olive, sometimes even a slice of orange, but the latter is not very common in Venice. We are now a long way from the spritz of the Austro-Hungarian period which, ultimately, was nothing more than a glass of wine with sparkling water ...

The production of Select is back in the lagoon, one hundred years after the first distillery of the Pilla brothers

And if the spritz al Select remains the most Venetian version, Select (which now belongs to the Montenegro group) has announced, on the occasion of the centenary that falls this year, the return of its production to Venice. An old industrial building in the Cannaregio district will in fact become Ca 'Select and will house the heart of the maceration process of some herbs and spices that characterize the taste of the product. The new headquarters in the lagoon, which will cover an area of ​​650 square meters, will also host an experiential space open to the city, with a tasting area, an events area for social and cultural initiatives and an exhibition area that will tell multimedia and interactive the story of Select.

three glasses of spritz with olive

A story deeply intertwined with that Venice of the early twentieth century where the origin of the Select denomination is confused between reality and legend. In fact, one would like the paternity to be attributed to Gabriele D'Annunzio which, on the occasion of a sumptuous dinner for the Feast of the Redeemer, he would have thought of this name deriving it from the Latin word selectus, chosen. In reality, Select would be nothing more than the acronym of “Establishment of Liquors and Cream of Tartar”, whose first production site was located not far from Venice, in San Donà di Piave.

Spritz, the most famous aperitif in the world last edit: 2020-07-15T18:00:00+02:00 da Cristina Campolonghi

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