The best spritz for your summer isn't a single drink — it's a choice among four distinct flavor directions. The familiar bitter orange of an Aperol Spritz and the floral elderflower of a Hugo cover the classics, but 2026's most interesting pours come from Mina Holland's Guardian lineup: a Cynar spritz built on artichoke amaro and a Suze-based Sunshine spritz glowing with gentian root. Here are the recipes, and how to pick between them.
Introduction to Summer Spritz Cocktails for 2026
Spritzes earn their summer reputation through a shared architecture: a low-proof bitter or floral liqueur, bubbly wine, and enough dilution to keep things sessionable. A Couple Cooks calls the Aperol Spritz an Italian classic that has been "capturing hearts since the 1950s," while the Hugo — elderflower, bubbles, mint — is, in their words, "like drinking a summer garden." Holland's 2026 contribution pushes the category somewhere more adventurous, toward brown, vegetal Cynar and luminous yellow Suze. The result is a spectrum running from sweet-bitter to floral to earthy to herbaceous.
Aperol Spritz: The Classic Bitter Orange
This is the benchmark. A Couple Cooks describes it as bubbly, citrusy, herbal, subtly bitter and lightly sweet, and their method is refreshingly simple: combine equal parts Aperol and Prosecco, top with soda water, and garnish with an orange slice. One detail matters more than it looks — use brut Prosecco, because the Aperol itself supplies plenty of sweetness. With a sweeter sparkling wine, the drink tips cloying. Serve it over ice in a large wine glass and you have the drink that defined the aperitivo revival.
Hugo Spritz: Floral and Refreshing Elderflower
The Hugo, also sold as the St-Germain Spritz, swaps bitter orange for elderflower liqueur. Kendra Vaculin's NYT Cooking recipe follows the classic 3-2-1 spritz formula — three parts Prosecco, two parts elderflower liqueur, one part soda — which she says yields a balanced drink that's not overly sweet, though she adds that "a summer cocktail should be breezy to make, not dependent on precise measurements." The With Two Spoons version is even looser: one ounce of St-Germain over ice in a wine glass, a few fresh mint leaves, a small slice of lime, then four to five ounces of chilled Prosecco. St-Germain's own site recommends dry Prosecco and a large wine glass with room for ice. Garnish with lime and mint.
