Venetian Style Spritz

I'm just back from a trip! I wasn't sure when I'd ever get to travel again. But, travel I did. Venice was the first stop. We stayed in a VRBO right in the middle of the oldest part of Venice. The owner of the unit was born and raised in Venice, and lucky for me (and all of us), she was a foodie! She pointed us in some amazing directions, plus she suggested some truly delicious restaurants as well as types of food and drink. The afternoon drink of choice in Venice is the spritz, a delightful drink that's part prosecco, part sparkling water, and part Select. The bartender where I had my spritz added both an olive and a dried orange slice when I asked for a Spritz, Venetian style. I've included the photo of the spritz I had there, at Oficina Ormensini, where the food was just as good as the spritz! (More on that later.)

Ingredients:

3 oz prosecco

2 oz select

1 oz sparkling water

1 Italian green olive

1 dried sweetened orange slice

ice

Directions: 

Fill a white wine glass at least 1/2 full with ice cubes. Add the prosecco, select, and sparkling water, stirring gently to combine. Spear the green olive with a long toothpick, then add it and the orange slice as garnishes. Serve and enjoy. 

Serves 1

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Select is an aperetivo similar to Aperol, but with a Venetian twist. It's been made in Venice for over 100 years, so many of the people there think of it as their own. I had my spritz with a late lunch when it was warm and sunny - it was very refreshing and cooling. Enjoy!