Just a Spritz

May 1, 2022

The Aperol spritz made a comeback in 2019 on the 100th anniversary of the Italian bitter and has been the drink of summer ever since. James Beard Award-winner Centoni (Portland Cooks) looks to give the spritz pride of place in readers' home bars with this fun, comprehensive, approachable drinks guide. She introduces basic spritz ingredients and easy-to-make simple syrups and shrubs and then sets up home mixologists to create their own spritz. Recipes are grouped by flavor (floral, fruit, bitter), so it is easy to select the right cocktail for a given taste, season, or ingredient. There is no need to spend a fortune at the liquor store, because the basics of the spritz remain the same and leave plenty of room for experimentation. The spritz isn't just for summer either--it delivers a wealth of flavors that make it a good year-round cocktail; and as a naturally low-alcohol drink, the spritz is a popular option for entertaining and day-time affairs--move over, punch bowl! Making this guide even more versatile, many of its recipes include non-alcoholic substitutions (fitting current trends in N/A spirits and dry Januaries). VERDICT With summer around the corner, Centoni has written the perfect cocktail guide for warm-weather entertaining and enjoying afternoon drinks.--Sarah Tansley

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 16, 2022
“The most refreshing, laid-back, intrinsically forgiving, and nearly effortless low-alcohol drink in the cocktail kingdom” gets an exuberant celebration in this collection from James Beard Award–winning food writer Centoni (Portland Cooks). A pre-dinner aperitivo that’s transcended Italian borders, spritzes, Centoni writes, offer a refreshingly fizzy lift free of “regrets the next morning” and a “liquor store’s worth of bottles.” Following a fascinating jaunt through the history of the bubbly beverage (which was created in the 1800s by Austrian soldiers stationed in Italy to stomach the local wine), she shows readers how to “attain spritz perfection” via bubbly prose and a mouthwatering array of sparkling no- or low-alcohol concotions, grouped by flavor profile (fruity, flowery, bitter). While innovative creations abound—the lavender-peach infused “Sun Day” is not to be missed—classics get their due in a “spritzified” negroni that swaps out gin for prosecco and a white wine spritz that modernizes the throwback 1980s sipper by going heavy on the aromatics. To get in a different spirit, tempting holiday drinks include a caramel apple spritz, and a “wintry sipper” gussied up with fig jam. Throughout, Centoni treats readers to a number of handy tips for elevating their offerings with a tasty array of garnishes, syrups, and shrubs. The result deliciously proves that a little goes a long way.