A day in Italy can be easily filled with a range of activities to suit any mood: a trek on two wheels through the labyrinthian streets of Rome, a scenic ride along the rural landscapes of Tuscany, or a sun-soaked laze out on the coast. Factor in the endless museums, fresh markets, and fashion boutiques, and there really is no shortage of options to fill your free time with fun. For all this variety, though, there’re a few hours out of twenty-four that are shared in common from southern Sicily to the northern Swiss border: the post-work and pre-dinner time when bright, bubbly, and sometimes bitter spritzes meet on-the-house salty snacks known as aperitivo. 

Fittingly, there’s a new addition to this scene that aims to also unite the country, in this case in scent and flavor. Drawing from a long list of native fruits and botanicals, Italicus is a light and citrusy liqueur that wants to put rosolio—a low-ABV drink with a long history—right alongside vermouths and amari on their modern-day march to peak global popularity. And in just less than a decade, the bergamot-starring blend has steadily soared upward toward that goal.

We’ve dabbled in bubbles once before—and now, thanks to this brilliant newcomer, the sparkling showcase of the casual and cool spritz takes us to Italy, a country where this format of drinking truly comes alive as a celebration of a particular moment in time, with good company and cocktails, and ideally, very few cares. 

And what’s in these glasses? Three inspired spritzes that see Italicus and extra dry prosecco fizzing away with refreshing fruity and floral flavors and other surprises that’ll have you delighting in more than a few dusks. With Puttin’ on the Spritz 2: Italian Affair, this magical mindset will be within reach at a moment’s notice—right on time for a high-romance happy hour spent daydreaming of your next trip to bountiful Bel Paese. Subscribe now to get yours.

Life will be Just Peachy when this chill number from Mia Mastroianni breezes into your high-temp summer-day tableau. Mia’s helped turn around quite a few establishments as part of the team of experts on television’s Bar Rescue, and now she looks to the scintillating spritz to engineer a formula that’ll thrive all season long. Featuring a strong lead performance by Italicus, a great deal of chemistry between extra dry prosecco and a delightful peach-lavender syrup, and some added drama from club soda, it’s the very definition of must-see and -taste spritzing!

The mind behind Danger Juice, Mia has more than fifteen years’ experience in the service industry from coast to coast. In 2010, she became one of the founding bartenders of the members-only club Soho House West Hollywood before going on to open Soho House locations in Miami Beach and Toronto. Her expertise has led to regular roles on Bar Rescue and the podcast AfterBuzz TV.

The low-ABV lifestyle is rip-roaring these days, perhaps because it makes the phrase One More Please!! such an easy call. And that’s the perfect order when it comes to Dario Doimo’s spritz, in which a pinch of sea salt elevates and joins together the singular citrus burst of Italicus with prosecco and added waves of fruitiness from grapefruit soda and hibiscus apple bitters. Allow visions of the stunning seaside to wash over you with one, or maybe two, of these sparkling gems.

Dario is the assistant general manager at Carversteak at Resorts World Las Vegas. His acrobatic talents behind the bar have led to multiple flair bartending championships over the years, and in 2019, he was named Italicus’s Bar Artist of the Year. 

Valentino Longo’s Full Bloom takes a rich and full-flavored approach to the typically lighter-in-body spritz, a depth he delivers to Italicus and extra dry prosecco with ginger beer and a crisply complex red grape and fennel seed cordial. And if the senses are looking for even more excitement, look to the rim where a lemongrass salt keeps the aromas lingering throughout. When your al fresco ambience is filled with satisfying sights and scents, why not savor a cocktail that pops and blossoms right along with it?

Born and raised in Rome, Valentino’s cocktail talents have taken him from the Eternal City to London, Miami, and beyond! In 2020, he launched the virtual teaching platform, Shōshin Art Club, which offers the mixology knowledge shared with him by many mentors throughout his career.

Sign up now for the glamour, glitz, and great tastes of the Puttin’ on the Spritz 2: Italian Affair Box and a showcase of the Italian aperitivo tradition will be shining bright on your doorstep soon enough! 

🍑🌿🍇,
The Shaker & Spoon

*not vegan: nothing
*potential allergens: grape–fennel seed cordial contains wine tannins.