Como Spritz

We always have a few bottles of sparkling wine refrigerated and ready for special occasions—or if we are honest, any occasion. Having some bubbly ready to open is something we highly recommend. But we are not always ready to drink a whole bottle when inspired to make a Champagne cocktail. That’s where those little single serving bottles of prosecco are perfect! We buy them by the case and make sure to tuck a few into the back corner of the refrigerator. It’s not the most common ingredient, but when you need it for a spritz and you are not prepared to carbonate a big batch, just crack open one little bottle. It’s super convenient and if you aren’t making a pair of drinks, just throw back the rest while nobody is looking!

Case in point, here is the Como Spritz, a delicious Italian cafe-inspired cocktail that makes a wonderful aperitivo or a low-ABV choice for the amaro-curious or anyone looking for something light but flavorful. Cynar is the featured ingredient and is one of our favorite bottles in our amaro collection. With such a simple execution, this one is so easy to build we should have been drinking these ages ago.

Como Spritz
1 oz Cynar
.75 oz passion fruit syrup
.25 oz lemon juice
3 oz prosecco

Add the Cynar and passion fruit syrup to a lowball/tumbler or rocks glass along with one ounce of prosecco. Fill the glass with ice and pour in the remaining two ounces. Garnish with a slice of orange.

Created by Sam Ross and Michael McIlroy for their New York City bar Good Guy’s, this drink represents the versatility of Italian bitters. These herbal liqueurs work equally well accompanying base spirits in Manhattan riffs like the Brooklyn variants as they do in lighter, elongated effervescent refreshers with sparkling wine. Here, we even have passion fruit syrup—an ingredient more often found in flavorful tropical Tiki recipes. But the combination of flavorful bitter liqueur, puckery passion fruit and a big dose of prosecco works great!

Like most spritzes, this one is built right in the serving glass. It basically mixes together as you go, with the ice and bubbles doing most of the stirring. No shaking here or you’d lose the carbonation, and while many comparative drinks in this category employ sparkling water to help chill and dilute, the Como softens a bit with time, but gets colder as you sip. Cynar has a deep herbal flavor that pokes through—almost like bittersweet cocoa, but the passion fruit and lemon brighten the flavor with an overall tang carried by the bubbles. It’s wonderfully light and satisfying, reminiscent of the Take 3 cocktail with a suggestion of grapefruit. Give this a try!