It’s the white version of the Spritz and if you love bubbles and happy hours you’ll love it! It’s Hugo cocktail, a slightly alcoholic cocktails born in South Tyrol in 2005. Roland Gruber was looking for an alternative to the Spritz and Hugo was created. Such kind of cocktail has rapidly spread in Triveneto and has crossed national boundaries, becoming the most popular soft drink also in Germany and Austria. I’ve tasted it for the first time in Feltre a couple of years ago where I’m used to spend one week per year in the summer, and I was surprised when I found the same cocktail in a club in Trastevere (Rome) last year. I find it much better than the classic Spritz, Hugo is more fresh and summery, fruity and elegant…

Although the original recipe provided by Gruber use the lemon balm syrup, the version that has spread and has had success use elderflowers syrup.

Hugo cocktail

Ingredients are easy: 1/3 of elderflowers syrup, 2/3 of prosecco wine, ice cubes, 1 splash of soda water, mint leaves.

Put in a white wine glass (or cocktail glass) few ice cubes. Then pour in the order: prosecco, elderflowers syrup and soda water (soda or mineral water are fine though), mixed gently and garnish with few mint leaves. If you want to make it less alchoolic increase the amount of soda. Some variants propose the addition of a slice of green apple … I prefer to use a lime, as expected by Gruber’s recipe.

Hugo cocktail

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