The formula
Something sparkling (prosecco, champagne, cava) + a wine, bitter or liqueur + often a splash of soda, built over ice or served up.
This is the aperitivo hour in a glass — sparkling wine as the canvas, and a bitter, liqueur or fruit as the paint. The Italian spritz (prosecco, a bitter aperitivo like Aperol, and soda over ice) is the template that took over the world, but the same logic runs through the classic Champagne cocktails: a Bellini’s peach, a Mimosa’s orange, a Kir Royale’s cassis, a French 75’s gin and lemon. Mostly low-proof, always celebratory, and among the easiest drinks to build.
Start with the original, then work outward.
21+ Veneto, Northern Italy (Venice & Padua) · Italian
Italy's golden-hour spritz: Aperol, Prosecco and soda over ice with an orange slice. The 3-2-1 ratio, why the order you pour matters, and the lightest world-famous aperitivo.
21+ South Tyrol (Alto Adige), northern Italy · Italian
The lighter, floral spritz: elderflower and fresh mint with prosecco and soda over ice. Delicate, garden-fresh and less bitter than an Aperol Spritz — the Alpine aperitivo that's taken over summer.
21+ Milan, Italy · Italian
The 'mistaken' Negroni: Campari and sweet vermouth topped with prosecco instead of gin. Lighter, sparkling and bittersweet — the low-ABV Negroni that had a viral moment, built in the glass in a minute.
21+ Amalfi Coast / Sorrento, southern Italy · Italian
The sunshine spritz: bright Italian limoncello with prosecco and a splash of soda over ice, finished with fresh lemon and mint. Sweet-tart, golden and summery — the Amalfi coast in a glass.
21+ Paris (Harry's New York Bar, c. 1915) · French / American
Gin and lemon shaken cold, then lengthened with Champagne — a sparkling, celebratory cocktail named for a field gun because it hits with a kick. Bright, elegant and dangerously easy to drink.
21+ Paris (1920s) · French
The brunch classic done properly — cold sparkling wine and fresh orange juice in equal parts, poured in the right order so it stays bright and bubbly. The ratio, the order, and the wine that matters.
21+ Venice, Italy · Italian
Venice's most elegant aperitivo — fresh white peach purée topped with cold Prosecco, soft pink and barely sweet. The Harry's Bar original, why white peaches matter, and the careful pour.
21+ Burgundy, France · French
The elegant French apéritif: a measure of blackcurrant crème de cassis topped with cold champagne. Deep jewel-pink, lightly sweet and effortlessly chic — two ingredients, one minute, endless occasion.
21+ 19th-century American cocktail bars · American
The vintage classic: a bitters-soaked sugar cube dropped into a flute of cold champagne, with a cognac option and a lemon twist. Slowly bubbling, faintly spiced and impossibly elegant — a cocktail from the 1850s that never dated.
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