The Ultimate Spritz Kit: How to Make the Best Summer Cocktail at Home
Summer evenings are naturally magical. The light hangs on sun-soaked patios and good times are had al fresco with friends, laughter, and refreshing drinks. The best summer cocktail embodies everything - it’s easy to make, looks beautiful, and is refreshing on the palate. In 2025, the spritz is the best summer cocktail, all proper and mixed in an elegant sparkling glass with flair and trend.
In this blog, we have created a tutorial on the ways to curate an unforgettable spritz experience at home. Whether you have just bought a spritz kit, have made a spritz from scratch, or are gifting a spritz kit, we want to help you get familiar with spritzing and elevate your summer parties.
What Makes a Spritz the Quintessential Summer Cocktail?
If you ask spritz drinkers worldwide why spritzes are synonymous with summer, you’ll likely get a pretty standard answer: refreshing, light, bubbly, and balanced.
Bubbles that Refresh
At its most simplistic level, a spritz is a bubbly celebration. The combination of sparkling wine (typically prosecco or brut) and soda water creates a feeling of lightness and the genuine fizz, which is ultra-refreshing, is perfect especially on hot days. It feels like summer in a glass: light, zesty, and inviting, while not weighing you down with heavier spirits.
Perfectly Balanced Bitter and Fruity
A spritz wouldn’t be complete without the flavored aperitif component, most often Aperol or another bitter herbal amaro-like item from The Epicurean Trader's collection of spirits. This ingredient adds character by balancing sweetness with soft bitterness to lift the palate. The bitterness is brightened with fresh citrus or fruity elements, giving you the illusion of fruit flavor without being sickeningly sweet.
Cultural Aura and Social Grace
The spritz is more than a flavor- it's a complete lifestyle. Spritzes come from Italy’s venerated aperitivo hours when people congregate on rooftops and piazzas to relax before dinner. They are social conviviality with elegance. Today, spritzes are a fixture at rooftop happy hours, backyard parties, and everywhere else brunch is served.
Visual and Social Appeal
The spritz is a remarkable display served in a large wine glass. Spritzes use colorful citrus, berries, and aromatic herbs as garnishes. They look bright and inviting and are fundamentally Instagrammable- everything feels lavish when they are present.
In a nutshell, the spritz is the ideal summer cocktail because it is refreshing, versatile, and a social display with ease, all in one.
Spritz 101: Key Ingredients That Make or Break Your Cocktail
To successfully create a spritz at home, it’s essential to understand all the components that can break or make your cocktail and how they fit together. While creating a spritz is relatively straightforward, its quality and balance are what make it good.
The Aperitif Base
The first foundational piece is the aperitif. As you most likely know, Aperol is the mainstay of spritz. It is loved for its vivid orange hue and slightly bittersweet taste. However, the world of aperitifs and thoughtfully developed bitters is wide, allowing for many options like herbal amari. And yes, you can find those at The Epicurean Trader. This opens up complexity in flavor, sometimes floral, sometimes earthy, or fruity, and sometimes it adds bitterness to your drink.
The Sparkling Wine
Next is the sparkling wine part of the cocktail. Prosecco is probably the sparkling wine that is used most often. Prosecco works well with spritz because of its sweet fruitiness, lovely bubbles, and good flavor. You can also use more brut sparkling wines, adding a crisper and drier end to the drink. The sparkle also makes the drink feel light and refreshing, so you don’t mind sipping cocktails all afternoon or evening around the pool.
The Finishing Touch
To finish a spritz, you should finish with soda water. This will bring about a spritz and lightness to the mix even more. You must use plenty of ice to keep things crisp and refreshing. When adding garnishes (like an orange wedge or slices, lemon or lime slices, fresh mint or rosemary), you should add to the aroma and visual of the finished drink.
Mastering Your Ratios
A classic spritz ratio is roughly three parts sparkling wine, two parts aperitif, and one part soda water. But the beauty lies in its customizability- you can tweak it to match your preferred strength and flavor profile.
How to Build the Ultimate Spritz Kit at Home
A spritz kit you can grab and go is a game-changer for spontaneous gatherings or relaxing solo evenings. We always like the idea of using high-quality, minimal ingredients, which makes mixing quick and enjoyable.
What Should Be in Your Spritz Kit?
High-quality aperitif : Choose from any artisan selections from The Epicurean Trader.
Sparkling wine : Choose Prosecco, which is a slinky wine that is lively and effervescent.
Soda water : A clean, crisp soda water that has fine carbonation.
Fresh garnishes : Think citrus (orange, lemon, grapefruit), herbs (mint, rosemary, basil), and even berries.
Glassware and ice : You will probably want a nice, sturdy wine glass and plenty of ice cubes.
Why Ingredient Quality Matters
There is a transformative difference between mass-produced mixers and very small-batch artisanal mixers. Small-batch artisanal aperitifs and sodas made with natural ingredients have more donut flavors and fewer adjuncts and taste much better.
Life is too short to spend your time on products that fail to elevate the entirety of your experience from merely ordinary to unforgettable.
Make It Display-worthy
A spritz kit is functional and should also be a featured centerpiece of your home bar. We like to store and present ours on a tray, in a vintage bar cart, or even in a stylish picnic basket for outdoor get-togethers.
Creative Summer Cocktail Variations Using Your Spritz Kit
Once you are stocked up on your kit's ingredients, you can begin to have fun. Spritzes are so versatile that you should be free to improvise using seasonal ingredients and things you like.
Citrus Crush
By including some fresh blood orange slices, grapefruit wedges, or a twist of lemon zest, you can create fresh, tangy notes of acidity and a bittersweet aperitif. This awakens the palate with lively notes of acidity.
Herb Garden Twist
Fresh herbs like basil, mint, or rosemary will contribute to aromatic complexity. If you are using basil, try muddling it before mixing, or add a little to your glass as a garnish to impart flavor as you sip.
Berries and Botanicals
Include strawberries, elderflower syrup, or lavender buds for a berry and floral spritz that adds a touch of sweetness, and yet remains balanced, elegant, and never cloying.
You can try combinations of the above options depending on your mood and occasion. The spritz kit provides a perfect creative playground.
Summer Hosting with Spritz: Tips for Outdoor Entertaining
The spritz may be your best friend when you host outdoors this summer. It's light enough to refresh everyone but impressive enough to feel celebratory.
Set Up a DIY Spritz Bar
We love creating a spritz station with everything you need: bottles of aperitif and bubbly, soda water, bowls of fresh garnishes, plenty of ice, and simple recipe cards. Spritz stations not only invite guests to customize their drinks, but they also encourage creativity and fun among guests!
Food Pairings with Spritz Cocktails
Spritzes are fantastic when paired with light and delicious bites. You can think of anything from a charcuterie board with a few cheeses, olives, and cured meats to a fresh summer fruit platter loaded with whatever is in season. You can also choose from a selection of Mediterranean-style tapenades. A spritz cocktail's bright, slightly bitter flavor complements and cuts through rich flavors beautifully.
Turning Your Kit Into A Gift-Worthy Basket
This is an excellent option if you're looking for an inspired idea for a thoughtful hostess, a summer birthday gift, or a spritz gift basket.
Put together the essential components of a spritz kit, a couple of snack pairings, and handwritten recipe cards for the spritzes.
Also, add decently priced reusable glassware to create a sustainable, elegant touch.
Voila… an instant winner!
Where to Shop for Premium Ingredients: The Epicurean Trader
When you're looking to source quality, small-batch ingredients for your spritz kit, trust The Epicurean Trader.
We curate fantastic artisanal products from independent makers that value flavor and craft.
Why choose small-batch products you've rated?
Products from small producers have a much more authentic taste, often with fewer preservatives or additives. Supporting indie makers and craft distillers also helps support a vibrant, creative food and drink community.
Explore the Epicurean Trader's Spritz Collection
Our spritz collection includes selected aperitifs, delicious sparkling wines, and quality sodas and garnishes, complete for the stylish home mixologist.
Gift-ready goods from The Epicurean Trader
Are you planning to surprise someone?
Our nicely packaged gift baskets, containing curated seasonal items, will ship nationwide; they're a beautiful presentation.
Cheers to Summer - One Perfect Spritz at a Time
The spritz is all about simplicity, refreshment, and style. If you're lucky enough to possess a thoughtfully curated spritz kit at home, you'll never be far away from raising a glass to sunshine and new friends this summer! Whether making cocktails for yourself, sharing spritz cocktails with friends, or gifting the art of spritzing to someone special, you are creating memories, one perfect spritz at a time.
So, cheers to adding sparkle and effervescence to your summer celebrations together!
Elevate your summer gatherings with a spritz kit or gift basket from The Epicurean Trader. Explore our carefully curated selection today and craft cocktails that impress every time.