Restaurant spritz always tastes better than the one you make at home, and it’s rarely the recipe’s fault — it’s usually temperature and timing. This one uses the classic 3:2:1 spritz ratio, and the notes below cover the details that actually make the difference between a flat, syrupy attempt and the real thing.

LIMONCELLO SPRITZ

Ingredients (per glass)

  • 90ml prosecco, well chilled
  • 60ml limoncello, straight from the freezer
  • 30ml soda water, well chilled
  • Plenty of ice
  • 1 lemon slice, to garnish
  • A few fresh mint leaves, to garnish (optional)

Method

  1. Chill the wine glass itself in the freezer for a few minutes if you have time — a warm glass takes the edge off everything poured into it.
  2. Fill the chilled glass about two-thirds full with ice.
  3. Pour in 30ml soda water first.
  4. Add 60ml limoncello over the soda water.
  5. Top with 90ml prosecco, pouring gently down the side of the glass rather than straight down, so you don’t knock the bubbles out.
  6. Give it one gentle stir, or none at all — the soda water going in first does most of the mixing for you without flattening the prosecco.
  7. Garnish with a lemon slice and a few mint leaves. Serve immediately.

Notes

Taste your limoncello on its own before you build the first glass — sweetness varies enormously between bottles, and this is the single biggest reason a limoncello spritz can taste off. If it tastes like lemon candy, ease back to 50ml limoncello and top up with a touch more soda; if it’s sharper and less sweet, the full 60ml is right.

Temperature matters more than technique here. Limoncello is high enough in sugar and alcohol that it won’t fully freeze, so keep the bottle in the freezer rather than the fridge — this is what restaurants do and it’s the single easiest fix for a flat, warm-tasting home version. Prosecco and soda water should both come straight from the fridge.

Build it in the glass, not in a jug — this isn’t a cocktail that holds. The prosecco and soda go flat within minutes of mixing, so make it to order, one glass at a time, right before it’s drunk. For a group, set the limoncello, prosecco and soda out on ice with glasses and let people build their own.

For a crowd: 1 bottle prosecco, 2 cups (500ml) limoncello, 1 cup (250ml) soda water — same 3:2:1 ratio, scaled up. Keep everything on ice and pour to order rather than pre-mixing.

Tangelo Citrus Liqueur is an alternative for trying in exactly this format in place of limoncello — same ratio, same build but add a shot of fresh lime juice.