8 Spritz Variants to Try in Venice, Italy
The Veneto region is the undisputed birthplace of Spritz culture, and while Aperol may have taken the cocktail global, Venetians have been refining their own variations for over a century. Whether you're visiting for the first time or returning for your third, knowing your way around the best Spritz variants in Venice will transform your aperitivo experience from tourist routine to local ritual. Here are eight Spritz styles worth seeking out — and exactly what makes each one special.
The History of the Venetian Spritz
To understand the Spritz, you need to go back to the nineteenth century, when northeastern Italy was under Austrian rule. Austrian soldiers and merchants stationed in the Veneto found the local wines too strong for their palate and began asking bartenders to "spritzen" — the German word for "to spray" — a splash of water into their glass. The habit stuck, the word evolved, and a cocktail tradition was born.
By the early twentieth century, the formula had shifted: sparkling water gave way to prosecco, and local bitter liqueurs entered the picture. Venice, with its dense network of bacari (traditional Venetian wine bars) and its deeply social cicchetti culture, became the spiritual home of the aperitivo Spritz. Today the drink is inseparable from the city's identity — as Venetian as the Rialto Bridge or a boat taxi cutting through the Grand Canal.
1. Select Spritz 🇮🇹 — The Authentic Venetian Spritz
If you want to drink like a true Venetian, order a Select. Created in Venice in 1920 by the Pilla family, Select is a rhubarb-forward bitter aperitivo with a complex herbal backbone — spicier, more aromatic, and considerably more nuanced than its famous orange cousin. For decades it was barely known outside the Veneto, which is precisely why locals still regard it as the real thing.
A Select Spritz is built the same way as any other: prosecco, the liqueur, a splash of sparkling water, ice, and a green olive. But the flavor is distinctly its own — layered, slightly savory, with a dry finish that makes you reach for the next sip immediately. If you only try one Spritz variant in Venice, make it this one.
Flavor profile: Herbal, spiced, bittersweet with a dry finish. Best for: Anyone who wants the authentic Venetian experience.
2. Aperol Spritz 🍊 — The World-Famous Classic
There's a reason the Aperol Spritz became a global phenomenon: it's approachable, visually stunning, and genuinely delicious. Built on a base of Aperol — a low-alcohol, orange-and-rhubarb aperitivo from Padua — with prosecco and a top of sparkling water, it delivers a gentle bitterness wrapped in citrus sweetness. The vivid amber-orange color doesn't hurt either.
In Venice you'll find it everywhere, from tourist-facing squares to local neighborhood bars. Purists may roll their eyes, but the Aperol Spritz earned its place for good reason. If you're new to bitter Italian cocktails or introducing a friend to the aperitivo world, this is the perfect starting point.
Flavor profile: Citrusy, lightly bitter, sweet and refreshing. Best for: First-timers and those who prefer lighter, sweeter cocktails.
3. Campari Spritz ❤️ — Bold and Unapologetically Bitter
For those who like their aperitivo with some backbone, the Campari Spritz delivers. Campari is darker, more intensely bitter, and more herbaceous than Aperol — its deep crimson color signals exactly what you're in for. Mixed with prosecco and soda, it becomes something bold and dramatic, a cocktail that commands attention.
Negroni fans will feel immediately at home. The Campari Spritz shares that same seductive bitterness, softened slightly by the fizz of the prosecco. Order one at a canal-side bar as the sky turns pink and watch it glow in the last of the evening light — it's an almost unreasonably beautiful drink.
Flavor profile: Intensely bitter, deep herbal, slightly sweet. Best for: Bitter aperitivo lovers and Negroni drinkers.
4. Cynar Spritz 🌿 — The Underrated Local Favorite
Here's the one that separates seasoned Italy travelers from the crowd: the Cynar Spritz. Cynar is an artichoke-based bitter liqueur — yes, artichoke — with an earthy, vegetal, deeply complex flavor that sits somewhere between Campari and amaro. It's been a staple of Italian aperitivo culture since the 1950s but remains criminally underrated outside the country.
In the Spritz format, Cynar becomes surprisingly refreshing. The earthy bitterness is lifted by the bubbles, and the result is something green and herbal and unlike anything else on the menu. Ask for it at a traditional bacaro and you'll likely earn an approving nod from the bartender.
Flavor profile: Earthy, herbal, artichoke-bitter with vegetal depth. Best for: The adventurous drinker who wants to order off-script.
5. Hugo Spritz 🌸 — Floral, Fresh, Alpine
Born in South Tyrol in the early 2000s, the Hugo Spritz is the youngest variant on this list and arguably the most delicate. It's built on elderflower liqueur (typically St-Germain or a local equivalent), prosecco, sparkling water, fresh mint, and a squeeze of lime. The result is floral, fragrant, and almost impossibly light.
The Hugo has become enormously popular across northern Italy and is perfectly suited to warm Venice evenings when something heavy feels like too much. If the Aperol Spritz is sunshine, the Hugo is a breeze — cool, fragrant, and slightly otherworldly. Find it at any modern aperitivo bar, especially in Dorsoduro or along the Zattere.
Flavor profile: Elderflower, mint, lime — bright, floral, and refreshing. Best for: Those who prefer floral, lighter cocktails over bitter ones.
6. Spritz Bianco 🤍 — The Elegant Local Secret
Less a single recipe than a category, the Spritz Bianco replaces the standard bitter liqueur with a dry white wine or white vermouth, creating a softer, more delicate aperitivo experience. You'll sometimes find it made with Aperol Bianco or simply a dry, unoaked white wine topped with prosecco and soda.
Locals who find the classic Spritz too sweet or too bitter often gravitate toward the Bianco. It's understated and refined — the aperitivo equivalent of a well-tailored linen jacket. Not every bar in Venice will know what you mean if you ask for it by name, but in the right bacaro, the bartender will understand immediately.
Flavor profile: Crisp, dry, lightly floral with minimal bitterness. Best for: Wine lovers and those seeking something more subtle.
7. Limoncello Spritz 🍋 — Sunshine in a Glass
The Limoncello Spritz brings a splash of southern Italian sunshine to the lagoon. Made with prosecco, a generous pour of limoncello, and sparkling water, it's unapologetically citrusy and sweet — more dessert-adjacent than the classic bitter variants, but devastatingly refreshing on a hot afternoon.
It's particularly good sitting at a canal-side table with a plate of fried cicchetti, where the sweetness of the lemon plays beautifully against the salt. While it's not as locally rooted as the Select or Cynar Spritz, you'll find it widely available and easy to love.
Flavor profile: Sweet lemon, bright citrus, effervescent and refreshing. Best for: Summer afternoons and those who prefer fruity sweetness over bitterness.
8. Italicus Spritz ✨ — Modern Italian Luxury
The newest arrival to Venice's aperitivo scene, the Italicus Spritz is built around Rosolio di Bergamotto — a bergamot liqueur from Calabria that's been celebrated for its extraordinary floral complexity. Paired with prosecco and a twist of pink grapefruit peel, it's the most refined and contemporary Spritz on this list.
Bergamot is the citrus that gives Earl Grey tea its distinctive fragrance, and it brings that same perfumed elegance to the glass. The Italicus Spritz feels like a cocktail designed for a candlelit terrace overlooking the Grand Canal. It's the one to order when you want to feel like you're in a very good film.
Flavor profile: Bergamot, floral, delicately bitter with grapefruit brightness. Best for: Those who want something contemporary, refined, and a little luxurious.
What Is Aperitivo Culture in Venice?
Aperitivo is the Italian tradition of drinking before dinner — not to get drunk, but to stimulate the appetite and ease into the evening. In Venice it typically happens between 6 and 8 pm, and it comes with food: cicchetti, the small Venetian snacks that line the counters of every bacaro, ranging from bruschetta topped with baccalà mantecato (creamed salt cod) to polpette (meatballs), sardines in saor, and fat green olives.
The bacaro is the spiritual home of this tradition — a small, unpretentious wine bar where locals stand at the counter, drink in hand, and the conversation flows as freely as the prosecco. Unlike sit-down restaurants, bacari move at a walking pace, and you're expected to drift from one to the next in a tradition known as the giro d'ombra — literally, a "tour of the shadows."
Best Places to Drink a Spritz in Venice
The neighborhoods of Cannaregio and Dorsoduro are where you'll find the most authentic aperitivo scenes, largely because they're home to more locals than tourists. The streets around Campo Santa Margherita in Dorsoduro fill up nightly with students and residents; it's one of the best spots in the city for a casual, unhurried Spritz. In San Polo, the area around the Rialto Market is lined with bacari that have been serving the same canal workers and fishmongers for generations.
For something more atmospheric, head toward the quieter canals of Cannaregio at golden hour, find a fondamenta (a walkway running alongside a canal), and pull up a crate or a wobbly stool. That's the Venice aperitivo experience at its finest.
What Food Pairs Best with Spritz?
The bitter, fizzy profile of a Spritz is designed to work with food, and Venetian cicchetti are the ideal companion. Salty, umami-rich bites — olives, cured meats, boiled egg with anchovy, tiny sandwiches called tramezzini — balance the bitterness and keep the palate fresh. Baccalà mantecato on a square of grilled polenta is perhaps the ultimate pairing: the richness of the creamed cod cut perfectly by a cold, effervescent Spritz. Fried seafood, pickled vegetables, and soft cheeses all work beautifully too.
Venice Aperitivo Tips for Tourists
A few things to know before you go. Aperitivo hour in Venice runs roughly from 6 to 8 pm — arrive before 7 if you want a seat. Avoid the bars directly on the tourist circuit (St. Mark's Square is beautiful but wildly overpriced); instead, walk five minutes in any direction and you'll find better drinks at a fraction of the cost. Don't sit down if you don't have to — standing at the counter is the local way, and you'll often get faster service and a more authentic experience. And if a bartender asks what kind of Spritz you want, try saying "Select" — it's the most reliable signal that you know what you're doing.
FAQ
What is the original Venetian Spritz? The original Venetian Spritz is made with Select, a locally produced bitter liqueur created in Venice in 1920. It predates Aperol's rise to international fame and remains the traditional local choice.
Is Select or Aperol more traditional in Venice? Select is considered the more traditional and authentically Venetian option. Aperol is produced in Padua and, while beloved, is more of a regional and international phenomenon than a specifically Venetian one.
What do locals drink in Venice? Locals typically drink Select Spritz, Cynar Spritz, or a simple glass of prosecco or local white wine. The giro d'ombra — moving from bacaro to bacaro with a small glass — remains the most traditional Venetian drinking ritual.
What is the difference between Aperol and Campari Spritz? Aperol is sweeter, lower in alcohol, and more citrus-forward. Campari is significantly more bitter, higher in alcohol, and has a more complex herbal character. In a Spritz, Campari creates a bolder, drier cocktail while Aperol produces something lighter and more approachable.
What time is aperitivo in Italy? Aperitivo typically takes place between 6 and 8 pm, before dinner. In Venice the tradition is taken seriously and most bacari will have their cicchetti spread laid out and ready by 6 pm sharp.
Planning a trip to Venice? Save this guide and use it as your canal-side companion — one Spritz at a time.
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