Hugo Spritz

Hugo

A light sparkling aperitif of prosecco, elderflower and mint, served over ice with lime. Floral, fresh and gently sweet.

6.7% ABV
Built in the glass
2 min
Wine glass
refreshing
bubbly
minty
sweet

about 0.6 standard drinks (US, 14 g of alcohol). Estimated after dilution with ice.

Ingredients

¾ ozElderflower cordialA non-alcoholic elderflower syrup; it gives the drink its floral sweetness.
3½ ozProseccoChoose a dry (brut) style to balance the sweetness of the cordial.
Top up withSoda water
6 leavesFresh mintSix leaves go in the glass; they stay on top as part of the garnish.
1 sliceLimeA thin slice, dropped into the glass.

Ice: Ice cubes · Garnish: fresh mint, lime

Method

Clap 6 mint leaves lightly between your palms to release their aroma, then drop them into a large wine glass.
Fill the glass with ice cubes.
Pour in 20 ml elderflower cordial, then 100 ml chilled prosecco.
Top with about 30 ml soda water and stir once, gently, to keep the bubbles.
Garnish with a slice of lime and let the mint leaves float on top.

Tips

Use well-chilled prosecco and pour the soda water last so the drink stays lively.
Fill the glass generously with ice cubes: the drink stays cold and dilutes more slowly.
Clap the mint rather than crushing it: this releases its aroma without bruising the leaves.

Swaps

Missing something? These swaps change the taste a little but keep the drink balanced.

Lime → Lemon

History

The Hugo is often credited to Roland Gruber, a bartender in Naturno, South Tyrol (northern Italy), who is said to have created it around 2005. His original version reportedly used lemon balm syrup, later commonly replaced by elderflower syrup. The drink then spread through the neighboring Alpine regions and beyond.