Passion Fruit Spritz
Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 10.1% ABV ∙
The Passion Fruit Spritz builds dry sparkling wine, Passoã and soda water over ice, topped with a floated half passion fruit. Light and fizzy with a silky, tropical sweetness that stays airy rather than syrupy, finishing crisp, cold, and gently effervescent on the tongue.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Pour all ingredients into the ice-filled glass: Dry sparkling wine 60 mlPassoã passion fruit liqueur 40 mlSoda water 20 ml
- Briefly stir
- Garnish with half a passion fruit floated on cocktail
Tips
- Pre-chill the wine glass so the sparkling wine keeps its fizz once poured over ice.
- Float the half passion fruit shell on top just before serving so its seeds and aroma greet the first sip.
History
The Passion Fruit Spritz is a modern offshoot of the Italian spritz that swaps a bittersweet aperitif such as Aperol or Select for a passion fruit liqueur, most commonly Passoã, giving the drink a sweeter, tropical profile and a pink-orange color instead of the classic orange hue. No single bartender or date is credited with this specific swap; it has spread largely through liqueur brands and home-bar recipe writers promoting passion fruit as an alternative spritz flavoring, with Passoã marketing its own version as a simple three-part prosecco, liqueur, and soda water serve.
The spritz itself traces to Veneto in the 1800s, when soldiers and officials of the Habsburg-ruled Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia found local wines too strong and asked innkeepers to lighten them with a splash, or "spritzen," of water. The bittered, aperitivo-style spritz did not emerge until the 1920s and 1930s in Venice and Padua, when bitters such as Select (Venice, 1920) and Aperol (Padua, 1919) were added to the wine-and-soda base, while Prosecco only became the standard sparkling component in the 1970s. Passoã, the passion fruit liqueur most associated with this variation, was developed in France under the Rémy Cointreau group and launched in the European market in 1986.
FAQ
What is in a Passion Fruit Spritz?
A Passion Fruit Spritz is dry sparkling wine, Passoã passion fruit liqueur, and soda water, built over ice in a wine glass and garnished with a floated half passion fruit. It is a light, low-proof drink at around 10% ABV, closer to a glass of wine in strength than a spirit-based cocktail.
How do you make a fruit spritz?
Pour the sparkling wine, fruit liqueur, and soda water into an ice-filled, pre-chilled glass, then stir briefly to combine without losing the fizz. For this Passion Fruit Spritz, that means dry sparkling wine, Passoã, and soda water, finished with a floated half passion fruit.
What makes a spritz a spritz?
A spritz is built from a sparkling wine base lengthened with a liqueur and a splash of soda, served over ice rather than shaken or stirred hard. This Passion Fruit Spritz follows that structure, briefly stirred and topped with soda water.
Is a Passion Fruit Spritz alcoholic?
Yes, it comes in at about 10.1% ABV thanks to its dry sparkling wine and Passoã passion fruit liqueur base. That makes it comparable in strength to a glass of wine, lighter than most spirit-forward cocktails.
What alcohol mixes well with passion fruit?
Passion fruit pairs well with sparkling wine, rum, and vodka, since its tartness cuts through both bubbly and stronger spirits. This Passion Fruit Spritz leans on dry sparkling wine, kept light with a splash of soda water.
