Golden Spritz
Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 15.8% ABV ∙
The Golden Spritz is a stirred-and-topped spritz built on gin, Fino sherry, apple cider, and ginger syrup, finished with dry sparkling wine. Crisp and bubbly with a nutty undercurrent, the ginger warmth lingers against a bone-dry finish that stays light rather than sweet.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Stir the first 4 ingredients with ice: London dry gin 30 mlFino sherry 25 mlApple cider (unsweetened) 25 mlGinger syrup 10 ml
- Strain into the ice-filled glass
- Top with Dry sparkling wine and briefly stir
- Garnish with a lime wheel and an apple slice
Tips
- Stir the gin, sherry, cider, and syrup well with ice before straining — this chills and dilutes the base without flattening the sparkling wine's fizz.
- Add the dry sparkling wine last and stir only briefly, just enough to combine without knocking out the bubbles.
- Pre-chill the wine glass so the drink doesn't warm and lose its sparkle before the top-up even goes in.
- Use a fresh, dry sparkling wine rather than a sweet one — the ginger syrup already supplies sweetness.
History
The Golden Spritz is a modern spritz variation created by bartender Jeff Carmichael at Capa, the rooftop bar of the Four Seasons Resort Orlando in Florida. It reworks the classic Italian spritz template by building on gin and fino sherry rather than a bitter apéritif, lengthened with apple and ginger and topped with sparkling wine.
It belongs to the wider spritz family that took shape in Veneto, Italy, where Austrian soldiers stationed in the region during the 19th century diluted the local wines with a splash of water, giving the drink its German-derived name. The template was formalized in Venice in 1920 as the spritz veneziano, built on the bitter apéritif Select, and later spread into countless regional and bar-specific versions using different bitter or aromatic modifiers, of which the Golden Spritz is one.
FAQ
What is a Golden Spritz?
The Golden Spritz is a stirred, gin-based spritz built with Fino sherry and ginger syrup for depth, then topped with dry sparkling wine and served over ice in a wine glass. Garnished with a lime wheel and an apple slice, it comes in at about 15.8% ABV.
How do you make a Golden Spritz?
Stir the gin, Fino sherry, apple cider, and ginger syrup with ice, then strain into an ice-filled wine glass. Top with dry sparkling wine, stir briefly to combine, and garnish with a lime wheel and an apple slice.
What is the formula for a spritz?
A classic spritz follows a rough formula of sparkling wine, a bitter or aromatic liqueur, and a splash of soda water over ice. The Golden Spritz reworks that formula, stirring its gin base with sherry and ginger syrup before topping with sparkling wine, rather than using the usual soda-and-bitter-liqueur combination.
