Sicily’s signature spritz swaps Italy’s famous orange aperitivo for a darker, more herbal amaro. The resulting Averna Spritz is richer and more complex than the spritz you already know.

The Aperol Spritz generates most of Italy’s spritz glory, but Aperol isn’t the only Italian bitter that plays well with prosecco. Replacing Aperol with Sicily’s Averna creates a darker, deeper spritz with notes of orange, licorice and caramel. It’s less sweet than the Aperol Spritz and, dare we say, more interesting to sip.

Our Averna Spritz journey started in Sicily where we sipped spritzes in cities like Cefalù and Palermo. That’s where we discovered the Averna Spritz. It then continued when we crafted Averna Spritzes at home. Since we had previously purchased a bottle of Averna to craft Black Manhattan cocktails, continuing this journey was a no-brainer.

• The Averna Spritz is a three-ingredient cocktail made with prosecco, Averna and sparkling water. It’s Sicily’s darker, more bittersweet answer to the Aperol Spritz.
• This recipe uses a 3:2:1 ratio of prosecco to Averna to sparkling water.
• Don’t splurge on the prosecco. Averna does most of the flavor work. Any dry brut prosecco works well.
• The Averna Spritz is stronger than an Aperol Spritz. Sip it slowly with olives and other aperitivo snacks.
• Averna dates back to 1868, when Salvatore Averna started producing an amaro recipe he acquired from Benedictine monks in Caltanissetta, Sicily.

The Averna Spritz is a sparkling wine cocktail with a 3:2:1 ratio of prosecco, Averna and fizzy water.

Some bartenders call it a Sicilian Spritz since Averna hails from Caltanissetta, a town in the center of the southwestern Italian island. The amaro (i.e., Italian herbal liqueur) dates back to the 19th century. As legend has it, Salvatore Averna started producing the amaro based on a recipe he was gifted by local Benedictine monks at Abbazia di Santo Spirito (i.e., Abbey of the Holy Spirit).

Compared to the Aperol Spritz, the Averna Spritz is darker in both color and flavor. It delivers a bittersweet sip with citrus, herbs and a hint of cola-like spice. Prosecco’s effervescence makes the Averna version equally bubbly compared to other Italian spritzes.

You need just three liquid ingredients plus ice and a garnish to make an Averna Spritz. Since Averna provides most of the flavor punch, there’s no need to splurge on pricier prosecco. We use the following ingredients in this Averna Spritz recipe:

Ingredient quantities are detailed in the printable recipe card below.

The first step in this Averna Spritz recipe is to open a chilled prosecco bottle. Do this carefully with your thumb atop the cork to avoid an annoying mess or, worse, an eye injury.

Next, fill a wine glass halfway with ice cubes.

Measure the prosecco and Averna. Immediately pour both liquids into the wine glass as you measure them. We use a Japanese jigger for this step to ensure accurate measurements and minimize spillage.

Buy a Japanese jigger from Amazon if you need a jigger or want an inexpensive upgrade.

Gently stir the two liquids with a bar spoon.

Top the glass with chilled sparkling water.

Garnish with an orange wedge.

Serve the crafted Averna Spritz with an olive and other aperitivo nibbles.

Once you’ve mastered the Averna Spritz recipe, there’s a whole world of spritzes to explore. These are some of our favorites, including one we created with a Portuguese twist:

Discover 10 essential bar tools for the home mixologist.

Pin

Daryl and Mindi Hirsch

This Averna Spritz recipe creates a sipper that's stronger and more herbaceous than the Aperol Spritz. It's an easy three-ingredient cocktail that you can make at home in just a few minutes.

Sign up for our newsletter for more of our faves.

Daryl and Mindi Hirsch

Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on their website 2foodtrippers. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers a unique taste of the world.