While the Aperol spritz might have been the original global summer spritz trendsetter, the summers that have passed since have made room for different iterations of bubbly and refreshing cocktails in hand. Most recently, the spa spritz has risen as another fresh, floral, and, with just 17% ABV, gently boozy option. Made from a base of sparkling wine and club soda, the spa spritz gets its spring-flowers aroma from the substitution of Aperol for Lillet Blanc — a French, fortified wine made with sémillon and sauvignon blanc grapes, along with all kinds of herbal, fruity, and flower notes that include orange blossom, honeysuckle, white flowers, and even pine.
Compared to Aperol, Lillet Blanc offers a mildly sweet, less bitter flavor. But along with the classic, summer stone fruit flavors of apricot and peach, there’s also a hint of citrus and herbal notes that peak through, which is where the garnishes come in. To bring out even more of those flavors hiding in the Lillet Blanc, a good spa spritz should have a healthy garnish of fresh herbs, usually basil and mint. Then, for even more fresh spa-like aromas and flavors, sliced cucumbers and citrus — be it lime, orange, lemon, or a combination of the three — are also added to the glass. To make things simple, though, you can follow the same 3-2-1 ratio used for the original Aperol spritz — that being 3 parts sparkling wine, 2 parts Lillet Blanc, and 1 part club soda.
Customizing your summery spa spritz cocktail
Once you’ve tried a spa spritz as it is, you can start playing around with your own iterations of the cocktail. As mentioned before, you can substitute, combine, or leave out any of the herbs and citrus fruits entirely, if you so please. After a sip, you might even find that you prefer some elements of the drink to others and decide to lean more into the floral flavors than the herby or citrus ones. From there, you can adjust your recipe accordingly.
For instance, should you want to bring out even more of the orange blossom and honeysuckle aromas of the Lillet Blanc, you might decide to add a splash of orange blossom water to your cocktail or pick an actual honeysuckle blooom to use as a garnish. Or vice versa; add even more herbaceousness to this drink by muddling the herbs to release more of their pungent oils and aromas.
Similarly, to add more citrus flavors, you might consider squeezing some of the fruit juice — be it lemon, lime, or orange — into your drink rather than just using it as a garnish. From there, you could also twist the peels and drop then in the glass to get even more of the oils from their skins and pith too. Given that this is a spa spritz, the sliced cooling cucumbers are probably the one thing in this drink you should keep, but, of course, they are optional as well.
