The Spritz: A Taste of Exoticism and Nostalgia

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Orange, sparkling, bitter, the cocktail that invades the terraces on the first fine days comes from Veneto, in northern Italy, where people have been drinking it since the first half of the 19th century.^e century.

Cocktail born under the influence of the Austrian Empire –hence the sound of the word–, it is since 2010, thanks to a marketing coup, that it has become very trendy. The Spritz has this side that is both chic and simple, fun and sophisticated, retro and modern, bitter and sweet, which seems to seduce many thirsty palates.

Everyone in a glass

A “cult” aperitif is always underpinned by imagination, associated with a certain context, served by accessories that make sense. The aperitif is a little ritualized dramaturgy, an enchanted parenthesis. Everything is set in motion and in music around this little friendly and summery liturgy.

Finally, the aperitif and the Spritz are first of all a temporality, slow and gentle. How to think of anisette, for example, without associating it with a certain type of glass, a zinc table and a bright sun, against a background of cicadas singing: we are at Pagnol’s.

When you taste champagne, it is rather a world of elegance, celebration and exception that unfolds; champagne, and its oblong flutes, enhancing the light sand color of the beverage with its so chic accents. “Two rooms two atmospheres”: for Beaujolais, the balloon glass, the checkered tablecloth and the sausage are never far away… to the tune of Trenet.

The Spritz, on the other hand, inevitably evokes a sunset in Italy, an overly sweet pop song, a departure on vacation: immediately resound in our ears “Weekend in Rome” by Étienne Daho, or the tangy ritornello of Lilicub “Journey to Italie”. In short, the Spritz is a real dream machine.

We could see only a set of clichés maintained by advertising, but these representations are indeed part of our rites of consumption; we adopt them without even thinking about it, we replay them more or less consciously.

Exoticism at all levels

The Spritz that propels us on vacation contains a promise of somewhat kitsch exoticism. An exoticism which is due to its transalpine ancestry, of course, but also to the strangeness of its name – several pronunciations are possible, depending on the degree of alcohol, perhaps.

The cocktail also invites us to a form of temporal disorientation, in the land of nostalgia. Its flashy orange color is reminiscent of the very particular design of the 1960s and 1970s, summoning up a whole retro and reassuring universe: these are the Prisunic plastic furniture, the picnic coolers, the yogurt maker, the seventies formica table and the wallpaper of granny.

Exotic too, this bitter flavor, so typically Italian – think of coffee, chicory, green olive oil – and which at the same time induces a form of social distinction: loving bitter is all the same more original than loving sweets! The sweet is unctuous, emollient, where the bitter surprises, stimulates the senses.

A moment of sharing

Above all, the Spritz invites us to savor the present moment, appealing to all our senses. There is already this color, this transparency. But also the touch, with an almost oversized glass that you can hold in the palm of your palm, the straw with which you play, suck, chew even while chatting lightly.

The large quantity of ice cubes tinkle and give a sound identity to the cocktail. Finally, the word itself seems to sparkle, and anticipates the pleasure associated with tasting the moment it is pronounced.

If this drink is best enjoyed with friends, taking your time – the glass, in principle, is large and well filled –, it is not uncommon to share it also virtually on social networks: on Instagram, which loves images too colorful and the staging of happiness, there are almost 2 million images stamped #Spritz: a figure that should continue to climb with summer temperatures.

Another interest of the Spritz is that it allows you to engage in conversation. It is a commentary machine, lending an opinion to one and all. Everyone has their own opinion on the cocktail: too much water, too sweet, too much prosecco, not enough bitterness…

It therefore offers an excellent pretext to engage in a debate without any stake, if not the pleasure of chatting. Lightness, the spirit of the terraces, the sun playing with the leaves and the parasol, the air caressing the cheek… There’s nothing like feeling on vacation!

This article is republished from The Conversation sous licence Creative Commons. Lire l’article original.