Montenegro Spritz

COCKTAIL INGREDIENTS:
- 60 ml Amaro Montenegro
- 90 ml Prosecco (Chilled)
- 30 ml Soda Water (Chilled)

GARNISH:

- Sprig of Sage
- Half of Orange Wheel
- Dehydrated Grapefruit Wheel

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Fill a wine glass with ice.
• Add the remaining ingredients.
• Give it a brief stir to combine.
• Garnish with a sprig of sage, half of orange wheel and a dehydrated grapefruit wheel.

Cocktail author: just a standard spritz ratio with a tasty amaro, pretty sure somebody, somewhere came up with the same idea as me.

Every spring and summer I‘m experimenting with seemingly unending number of Italian amari in a spritz style cocktail. Easy to follow 2-3-1 ratio, has resulted in a number of delicious drinks and cocktail ideas and still keeps on giving.

This time I have tested amaro Montenegro in a spritz and it produced one of my favourite results, so far. Whether it is the best, that is a matter of individual taste, but for my palate I would choose this over Aperol Spritz every time. Deep bitter-sweet flavour of Montenegro with notes of cherry, orange, coriander and clove is great for Mediterranean climate, but somehow connects very well with the northern terroir as well. It lays a solid bold foundation to be brightened and lengthened with prosecco and soda water. Addition of light, effervescent and fruity prosecco tames the dominating amaro and helps it to fully develop. (Make sure to choose a dry prosecco, unless you want a much sweeter spritz.) Touch of soda water, further lengthens the drink while at the same time reducing the ABV and turning the cocktail into a perfect summer refreshment. Traditional spritz is garnished with an orange, but in this particular case, I love a sprig of sage. Light, earthy fragrance of the sage adds one more dimension, highly improving the drinking experience.

All in all, Montenegro Spritz will not be your traditional light spritz bursting with sweet orange taste of Aperol, but rather deeper, more complex cocktail with number of individual amaro notes revealing themselves over time.