Sipwise

Hugo Spritz

Northern Italy's beloved elderflower spritz: St-Germain liqueur, prosecco, and fresh mint with a squeeze of lime — delicate, floral, and supremely refreshing.

More drinks like this
Hugo Spritz cocktail made with champagne, served in a wine glass
Base
champagne
Glassware
Wine glass
Flavor Profile
sweetherbalrefreshing

Ingredients

  • 3 oz chilled prosecco
  • 1.5 oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur
  • 1 oz soda water
  • 4-5 fresh mint leaves
  • Thin lime slice, to garnish

Instructions

  1. 1Fill a large wine glass with ice.
  2. 2Add St-Germain and prosecco, then a splash of soda water.
  3. 3Add mint leaves, garnish with a lime slice, and stir gently.

Origin & Story

South Tyrol, Italy, 2005

Bartender Roland Gruber invented the Hugo in 2005 at his bar in Naturns, South Tyrol, originally using lemon balm syrup before switching to elderflower. It spread through Austria and northern Italy with extraordinary speed, rivaling the Aperol Spritz in popularity in German-speaking countries and becoming one of the defining aperitivo cocktails of the 2010s. Unlike the Aperol Spritz, it deliberately avoids bitterness.