Updated January 12, 2024
Aperol spritz is considered the classic Italian cocktail, but its cousin, the refreshing Hugo cocktail (aka Hugo spritz) is a favorite of many Italians, especially in the hot summer months!
The perfect place to drink one is in the Dolomites, while looking at the mountains and the bright green hills.
But, if you can’t make it to the Dolomites, don’t worry! I’ve got the authentic recipe for the Hugo cocktail for you – directly from South Tyrol! That’s right – this is the recipe for the Hugo cocktail.
Thanks to Lorenzo, the talented and knowledgeable bartender at Romantik Hotel Turm, you can make the classic Hugo cocktail at home – and it will taste just like one you’d have in South Tyrol.
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What is a Hugo Spritz?
The Hugo cocktail is a refreshing alternative to the popular orange-colored spritz you see on aperitivo tables every evening in Italy.
It combines the following ingredients:
- Prosecco
- Elderflower syrup
- Sparkling water
- Ice
- Mint
- Lime (garnish)
These are the essential ingredients and there shouldn’t be any substitutions or additions.
Fun Fact: If you’re in the Dolomites in late May or in June, look for the white elderflowers in bloom! They also have a lovely scent.
When to Drink the Hugo Spritz
The Hugo is a classic aperitivo cocktail, especially on a hot, sunny day. Besides aperitivo, the Hugo spritz is a great choice for:
- Barbeques with family or friends
- An evening with the girls
- A pre-dinner drink in the summer
- An apres-ski cocktail
You may want to read more about Italian drinks:
Aperitivo – Italian Aperitif
Digestivi – Italy’s Digestifs
How to Make an Aperol Spritz
Origins of the Hugo Cocktail
The Hugo spritz is a ‘young’ cocktail – it was invented in 2005 in Naturns, in South Tyrol (aka Alto Adige in Italian, Südtirol in German) by Roland ‘AK’ Gruber. He mixed his new version of the spritz at his bar in town. He played around with the ingredients and eventually came up with his final Hugo spritz recipe.
Hugo Spritz Ingredients*
- 2/3 cup prosecco
- 1/3 cup sparkling water
- 1 – 2 tsp elderflower syrup
- 8 one-oz cubes of ice (or 8 oz ice)
- Slice of lime
- A few fresh mint leaves
*Makes one Hugo spritz
Directions for Making the Hugo Spritz
- Add the ice to the glass.
- Add the elderflower syrup, sparkling water, and prosecco.
- Add the fresh (un-muddled) mint leaves.
- Mix gently (you don’t want to ‘de-gas’ the cocktail).
- Cut a notch in the lime slice and add it to the side of the glass.
- Enjoy!
Hugo Cocktail Recipe Tips
If you want to stick to the classic Hugo spritz, keep the following in mind:
- The key (as with most recipes) is to use quality ingredients – especially a good elderflower syrup and prosecco. D’arbo syrup (from Austria) is an excellent syrup.
- Use a dry prosecco. The drier the better. It will complement the sweetness in the elderflower syrup.
- Use the proportions of the recipe.
- Use elderflower syrup – not elderflower berry syrup, elderflower liqueur, or melissa syrup.
- Add the lime slice to the side of the wine glass rather than inside the glass. You’ll get a lovely whiff of lime as you drink your Hugo spritz. The lime complements the drink better than a lemon.
- You can use any glass, but the Hugo spritz looks best in a long-stemmed wine glass.
Good To Know: If you’ve tried the Hugo spritz and found it to be too sweet, it wasn’t made using this recipe. It probably either used a low-quality elderflower syrup, it had too much elderflower syrup, it used a sweet prosecco or it used the sweeter elderflower berry syrup or liqueur.
I hope you enjoy your Hugo spritz cocktail!
Hugo Spritz Cocktail
The authentic Hugo spritz cocktail
recipe – straight from Northern Italy! A refreshing alternative to
Italy’s classic spritz.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup prosecco
- 1/3 cup sparkling water
- 1 – 2 tsp elderflower syrup
- 8 one-oz cubes of ice (or 8 oz ice)
- Slice of lime
- A few fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Add the ice to the glass.
- Add the elderflower syrup, sparkling water, and prosecco.
- Add the fresh (un-muddled) mint leaves.
- Mix gently (you don’t want to ‘de-gas’ the cocktail).
- Cut a notch in the lime slice and add it to the side of the glass.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- The key (as with most recipes) is to use quality ingredients – especially a good elderflower syrup and prosecco. D’arbo syrup (from Austria) is an excellent syrup.
- Use dry prosecco. The drier the better. It will complement the sweetness in the elderflower syrup.
- Use the proportions of the recipe.
- Use elderflower syrup – not elderflower berry syrup, elderflower liqueur, or melissa syrup.
- Add the lime slice to the side of the wine glass rather than inside the glass. You’ll get a lovely whiff of lime as you drink your Hugo spritz. The lime complements the drink better than a lemon.
- You can use any glass, but the Hugo spritz looks best in a long-stemmed wine glass.
Hugo Spritz Cocktail FAQ
Yes, you can use seltzer water or sparkling mineral water in this classic Hugo cocktail recipe.
In Italian, Hugo spritz is pronounced OO-go spreets.
One of Roland Gruber’s early iterations of the Hugo spritz contained melissa syrup, but he changed it to elderflower syrup. The elderflower syrup recipe is established as the authentic Hugo spritz recipe, and the one that you’ll get if you visit any bar or restaurant in South Tyrol.
Yes, that’s fine!
