Lemonade Spritz
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙
The Lemonade Spritz is a non-alcoholic cooler of mint shaken with fresh lemon juice and sugar syrup, topped with soda water and served long over ice. Bright and tart with a crisp fizz, the finish turns cool and herbal, balanced enough that the sweetness never lingers too long.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake the first 3 ingredients with ice: Fresh mint leaves 8 pcsLemon juice 30 mlSugar syrup 15 ml
- Strain into the ice-filled glass
- Top with Soda water
- Garnish with a lemon slice
Tips
- Shake the mint, lemon juice, and syrup hard with ice first — this bruises the mint just enough to release its oils before straining.
- Strain into a fresh batch of ice rather than the shaker ice, so the drink stays clear instead of clouded with spent mint leaf.
- Top with soda water last and pour gently down the side of the glass to keep the carbonation from going flat.
- Pre-chill the Collins glass so the soda water doesn't lose its fizz on contact with a warm surface.
History
The Lemonade Spritz is a modern, non-alcoholic riff on the Italian Spritz, swapping wine and bitters for fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup, and soda water so the drink keeps the same fizzy, low-proof spirit without any alcohol. It has no single documented creator or year; it belongs to the 21st-century mocktail movement that reworked classic spritz-style proportions into alcohol-free versions for menus seeking lighter, all-day drinks. One version has circulated on the menu of the Jamie's Italian restaurant and bar chain.
The format it borrows from, the Spritz, is generally traced to 19th-century Veneto, where Austrian soldiers and officials stationed in the Habsburg-controlled region are said to have diluted local wine with a splash of soda water, giving rise to the German-derived term. That wine-and-soda tradition later evolved into the bittered, prosecco-based Spritz Veneziano of the 20th century, from which non-alcoholic, citrus-forward spinoffs like the Lemonade Spritz later took their name and format.
FAQ
How do you make a lemonade spritz cocktail?
Shake fresh mint leaves, lemon juice, and sugar syrup hard with ice, then strain into an ice-filled Collins glass and top with soda water. Finish with a lemon slice as garnish. This version is non-alcoholic, so no spirit goes into the shaker at all.
What is in a Lemonade Spritz?
Fresh mint leaves, lemon juice, and sugar syrup, shaken and strained over ice, then topped with soda water and garnished with a lemon slice. It is a non-alcoholic drink at 0% ABV, around 55 calories per serving.
What alcohol goes well with lemonade?
Gin, vodka, and Aperol are common choices for spiking a lemonade-style drink, since their botanical or bitter-orange notes balance the citrus and sugar. This particular recipe is built to be non-alcoholic, relying on mint and soda water instead of a spirit for its lift.