The Campari Spritz recipe
built directly in the glass
Fill a large spritz glass to the top with ice cubes; the more ice, the more slowly it melts.
Pour the prosecco over the ice, then add the Campari. The heavier Campari sinks through the wine and largely mixes in by itself.
Top up with 3 cl of chilled sparkling water.
Stir once briefly with a bar spoon from bottom to top, so the color becomes even without making the prosecco lose its fizz.
Place an orange slice between the ice and serve immediately.
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The story
The spritz originated in the nineteenth century in Veneto, when the region was under Habsburg rule. According to the commonly accepted explanation, Austrian soldiers and officials found the local wine too strong and had a splash of water added to it, called spritzen in German. Between the 1920s and 1930s, a bitter aperitif was added to the glass in Venice and Padua. Campari is older: Gaspare Campari developed his bitter around 1860 in Novara and later sold it in his café in Milan. It is not recorded who first poured Campari into a spritz. The ratio now commonly used, 6 cl of bitter to 9 cl of prosecco with a splash of sparkling water, is the same as in the official IBA specification for the spritz, which was drawn up with Aperol. Campari gives exactly those measurements on its own website, with 3 cl of sparkling water.
The right glass
Campari itself calls for a wine glass filled with ice. A spritz glass is exactly that: a large, round wine glass of around 50 cl, with room for a generous scoop of ice and 18 cl of drink. The wide bowl holds the aroma of orange peel, and the stem keeps your hand away from the cold glass. A smaller 35 cl wine glass will also work, but it holds less ice, so the drink becomes diluted more quickly. You can find our choice among the spritz glasses.
RCR Timeless Spritz Glass 49 cl (6 pieces)
RCR Alkemist Gin Tonic Glass 58 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 89,90.
The right tools
For a Campari Spritz, besides the glass, you use a bar spoon for stirring, a jigger for precise measuring and large ice cubes. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Large cubes melt slowly, so your drink gets less diluted
Glass set (our choice 01) + 3 bar tools together € 150,80.
Variations & twists
With Aperol instead of Campari, you get the sweeter, orange Aperol Spritz, which at 11 percent alcohol is also considerably lighter. If you want more bitterness and fewer bubbles, the Americano with red vermouth and sparkling water is the logical next step. Swap the sparkling water for red vermouth and use equal parts of everything, and you have a Negroni Sbagliato. In Venice, a spritz often comes with a green olive on a cocktail pick alongside the orange; its briny flavor also works well against the bitterness of Campari.
Servingtip
Chill the prosecco and Campari in advance. The colder the drink goes into the glass, the less ice melts and the longer the bubbles last. Serve something salty alongside it, such as olives, crisps or pieces of Parmesan: salt softens the bitterness and brings out the orange in the Campari.
Good to know
How to make a Campari Spritz: the ratio explained
The ratio is three parts prosecco, two parts Campari and one part sparkling water: 9, 6 and 3 centilitres. Prosecco is the largest component because it keeps the drink light and dry and provides the bubbles. Campari supplies the colour, bitterness and underlying sweet core. The sparkling water may seem like a minor detail, but it stretches out the flavour without adding sugar and makes the drink fresher. If you want less bitterness, use 4 cl of Campari and keep the rest the same. More than 6 cl mainly makes it more bitter and heavier.
Difference between Campari Spritz and Aperol Spritz
Both follow the same structure of bitter aperitif, prosecco and sparkling water, but the bitter aperitif makes the difference. In the Netherlands, Campari contains 25 percent alcohol and Aperol 11 percent. As a result, a Campari Spritz is stronger, and the flavour is different too: Campari is distinctly bitter with a sweet core, while Aperol is sweeter, with more orange and fewer herbal notes. The colour shows it too: deep red versus orange. Those who find the Aperol Spritz too sweet often end up choosing this one instead. Incidentally, the two brands belong to the same company.
Which prosecco should you choose
Choose a dry prosecco, because Campari already brings sweetness. On the label, brut means the driest, with no more than 12 grams of sugar per litre. Extra dry sounds drier, but is actually slightly sweeter, and dry is sweeter still. Brut gives the sharpest Campari Spritz, while extra dry makes it rounder. Choose a spumante for the most fizz, not a frizzante: it is under less pressure and will quickly go flat among the ice. There is no need for an expensive bottle, because the bitterness of the Campari overpowers the subtle nuances of a top prosecco.
Campari Spritz for a group
For a group, don’t make a pitcher in advance, because prosecco and sparkling water will lose their fizz. Do have everything ready: Campari, prosecco and sparkling water chilled, a bucket of ice and sliced orange. A 75 cl bottle of prosecco is enough for eight 9 cl glasses, and a 70 cl bottle of Campari for eleven glasses. Fill the glasses with ice, pour the prosecco and Campari into each glass, and top with sparkling water. If you do want to prepare something in advance, put only the chilled Campari with orange slices in a pitcher from our pitchers collection and top up each glass individually.
Non-alcoholic Campari Spritz
For an alcohol-free version, replace the Campari with an alcohol-free bitter aperitif. Crodino is the best known; it is orange and less bitter, so keep the rest of the drink dry. Replace the prosecco with an alcohol-free sparkling wine, or with extra sparkling water and a splash of tonic: the quinine in the tonic brings back the bitter edge you miss without Campari. Keep the structure the same: plenty of ice, bubbles first, then the bitter aperitif, and an orange slice. Find more ideas at Alcohol-Free Spritz.
How much alcohol is in a Campari Spritz
Count on approximately 2.5 cl of pure alcohol per glass. The 6 cl of Campari at 25 percent provides 1.5 cl, while the 9 cl of prosecco at around 11 percent provides another 1 cl. In 18 cl of drink, that amounts to around 14 percent, and as the ice melts it drops to 11 to 12 percent. In grams, it is approximately 20, which equals two standard drinks. An Aperol Spritz made with the same measurements comes to slightly more than one standard drink. For a lighter version, use 4 cl Campari and 3 cl extra sparkling water.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a Campari Spritz?
A Campari Spritz consists of 6 cl Campari, 9 cl prosecco, and 3 cl sparkling water, poured over plenty of ice in a large glass and finished with an orange slice. There is no syrup or juice: the sweetness comes from the Campari itself, while the freshness comes from the prosecco and sparkling water.
What is the ratio for a Campari Spritz?
Three parts prosecco, two parts Campari, and one part sparkling water. In centiliters, that is 9, 6, and 3, the measurements Campari itself gives on its website. It is the same ratio as in the IBA specification for a spritz, only with Campari instead of Aperol.
Is a Campari Spritz more bitter than an Aperol Spritz?
Yes, clearly. Campari has a pronounced bitterness from orange peel and herbs and, at 25 percent, also contains more than twice as much alcohol as Aperol at 11 percent. An Aperol Spritz is sweeter and milder. If you find that too sweet, the Campari version is the logical next step.
Which glass do you serve a Campari Spritz in?
In a large wine glass or spritz glass of around 50 cl, filled with ice. Campari itself specifies a wine glass. The spacious bowl leaves room for plenty of ice and 18 cl of drink, while the stem keeps your hand away from the cold glass. Our choice can be found among the spritz glasses.
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