The following is an extended version of the piece that appears in our March 2020 issue, heading to newsstands soon.
Rhubarb Spritz at The Roosevelt (Photo by Jay Paul)
This is the time of year I start hankering for bubbles in my drink. Each day is longer, the sky bluer, and all around us the sparkle of life is unpacking itself from a long winter sleep. My blood feels the need to be uplifted. It’s time to unfold from the cooler months’ cocoon and discover the fizzy, bright wonders Richmond watering holes are presenting this season.
In recent years, cocktail culture has turned down the ABVolume from the renaissance's 2-ounce-base standard to a more civilized hum. And so we revive the spritz. Just as refreshing, but more sessionable than a highball — spritz’s boozier cousin — the beverage is on the rise. More people are embracing aperitif and digestif spirits — many originally meant to be lengthened with soda and consumed as a tonic for ailments, which is often why they are so dense and unctuous with bitter, herbaceous sweetness.
You can accomplish the same effect with a gentler launch, via the ever-popular, and often debated, Aperol spritz.
Mixology nerds could contest the ideal spritz method for hours, but I’ll share the simple, practical recipe I’ve found best.
In a wine glass filled with solid ice cubes:
- Slowly pour 3-4 ounces of dry sparkling wine.
- Add 1.5 ounces Aperol and top with highly carbonated soda water to taste.
- Garnish with half an orange wheel.
Don’t stir or agitate because it knocks loose those precious bubbles, don’t pour heavier ingredients over lighter ones and trust the carbonation to mix the liquids. Experiment responsibly: Substitute Aperol for another aperitif with a similar bittersweet complexity.
Rhubarb Spritz
David Rosenfeld, The Roosevelt’s bar manager, offers a rustic spritz that serves as the perfect transition drink from winter to spring — dark and earthy, yet tart and uplifting. If feeling extra, make some candied rhubarb. And if you do, definitely give it a nibble.
1 ounce cappelletti
.5 ounce Zucca Rabarbaro
.5 ounce Giffard Rhubarbe
2 ounces soda water
3 ounces Rosemont Sparkling Rosé wine
1 rhubarb
Combine cappelletti, Zucca Rabarbaro and Giffard Rhubarbe in a highball glass over ice.
Add soda water and sparkling wine. For the candied rhubarb, use a peeler to create long, thin strips. Let them sit in simple syrup (boil equal cups sugar and water until the sugar dissolves) for five minutes. Lay the strips flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cook at 225 degrees for about 45 minutes or until they are crisp. To create a twist, grab a wooden spoon or cocktail stirrer and quickly, before it sets, curl the strip around the handle.
Early Bloom
Jas Singh of Restaurant Adarra offers up a crisp floral mashup of a spritz and a Collins. It is dangerously sessionable and plays well with food.
1.25 ounces Lillet Rose
.25 ounce Singani 63
.5 ounce verjus
.25 ounce lemon juice
.25 ounce honey
4 ounces prosecco or cava
Combine Lillet Rose, Singani 63, verjus, lemon juice and honey over ice. Top with prosecco or cava.
Cardamaro Spritz
From Madison Pere, bar manager of Little Nickel, comes this refreshing herbal delight. Nicely rounded and faintly woody, use a high-sparkle soda to tickle that sylvan magic right up your nose.
1 oz Cardamaro
2 oz Albariño
1 oz cava
Soda
Combine ingredients in a wine glass. Add ice and top with soda. Garnish with 2 dashes orange bitters (or sub orange twist)
