Light and breezy, the Lillet spritz is the ideal summer drink! It’s bubbly and refreshing, featuring Lillet Blanc, lemon, and soda water.
if there’s a cocktail that embodies the word refreshing, this is it. Meet the Lillet spritz! It’s light and bubbly, tart and citrusy, and it couldn’t be easier to make. The star? Lillet Blanc, a subtly floral fortified wine that is an absolute must in your fridge! Mix it up with some bubbles, lemon and gin, and you’ve got a breezy light cocktail that has summer written all over it.
What’s a spritz?
A spritz is a cocktail that’s a blend of sparkling wine (usually Prosecco), bitter liqueur, and soda water. The most famous spritz of all is the popular Aperol spritz, a classic cocktail on the list of IBA official cocktails. It’s made with Aperol, an Italian bitter.
There are many ways to make a spritz by varying the bitter liqueur! Use Campari for the Campari spritz and any type of Amaro for an Amaro spritz. You can also make a spritz with other types of liquor, like this St Germain spritz.
Ingredients in a Lillet spritz
With a Lillet spritz, there’s no official definition or formula like the classic Aperol spritz. So the recipe is up to the bartender (us!). Here we skipped the traditional Prosecco in favor of ingredients we more readily have on hand. The gin is a perfect balance to the lightly floral Lillet, and it’s infused with lots of bubbles from the soda water. Here’s what’s in this Lillet spritz:
- Lillet Blanc
- Gin
- Lemon juice
- Simple syrup
- Soda water
How to make a Lillet spritz
The Lillet spritz is so easy to make: there’s no real technique involved at all! Just stir ingredients and top with bubbles. Here are the basic steps (or skip to the recipe)
- Stir: Stir the Lillet blanc, gin, lemon juice and simple syrup in a glass.
- Top with bubbles: Add the soda water.
- Garnish: If you’d like, add a sprig of thyme or lavender.
Even easier: make a Lillet spritzer!
Here’s an even easier version of the Lillet spritz: a Lillet spritzer! A spritzer is a drink that dilutes wine with soda water. You can make a simpler version of this drink by doing the following:
- Pour about an inch of Lillet Blanc into a glass.
- Dilute it by adding bubbles to dilute by 50% to 75%.
Love spritzers? Try Red Wine Spritzer or Rosé Spritzer.
All about Lillet!
Lillet Blanc is a staple in our liquor collection. Lillet (“Li-lay”) is a French aperitif: a fortified wine that’s flavored with herbs and citrus. There are are several types of Lillet made of different wines: Lillet Blanc, Lillet Rosé and Lillet Rouge. The flavor of Lillet Blanc is light, with subtle floral and herbal notes. It’s similar to a dry white vermouth, with a more intriguing herbal flavor.
Why do we love Lillet so much? Its light and refreshing flavor! You can keep a bottle of Lillet in your fridge for about 3 months. Use it to mix up this Lillet spritz on repeat, or other Lillet cocktails like the Vesper Martini or this Lillet G&T.
Step it up: try clear ice!
To take your Lillet spritz to the next level…try it with clear ice! What’s clear ice? It’s ice that’s frozen to be crystal clear, with none of the cloudiness of normal ice. You can cut large chunks and they look just like a fancy bar! They take this drink to superstar level. All you need is 24 hours and a small cooler. Go to How to Make Clear Ice.
When to serve a Lillet spritz
The Lillet spritz cocktail is bubbly and refreshing. It works well for summer, but you can drink it anytime (and we do!). It’s great for serving as a:
- Summer drink
- Brunch drink
- Before dinner drink (aperitif)
- Cocktail hour drink
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