Meet the seasonal Spritz we have on repeat right now.
About the cocktail
Nothing lasts forever – except maybe our love of the Spritz. Sure, it’s a simple format – soda water, sparkling wine and a rotating cast of extra flavours – but the Spritz is more than the sum of its parts. And when new versions like this Mandarin Hugo Spritz keep popping up, it’s clear there are always more variations to explore. Hot on the heels of the TikTok-powered Limoncello Hugo Spritz comes the Mandarin Hugo Spritz – an equally zesty, citrusy and refreshing take on the Spritz formula. Like its spritzy spiritual predecessor, this bubbly boy is a riff on the Hugo Spritz (sometimes just called Hugo), which takes the soda and wine base and adds the floral sweetness of elderflower. Instead of limoncello, though, this version uses the potent citrus flavour of real mandarin, muddled in the bottom of the glass to release those essential oils. The result is a cocktail loaded with zippy citrus flavours, the sweetly floral notes of elderflower, and plenty of fizz from the sparkling wine and soda. We could reel off an endless list of times and places we’d like to drink this (in a sunny backyard, or before a big meal with friends) but, honestly, the best part of a Mandarin Hugo Spritz is that it’ll suit pretty much any occasion you care to throw at it.
Ingredients
¼ fresh mandarin 40mL elderflower liqueur 60mL sparkling wine 60mL soda water Glass: highball Garnish: mint sprig and mandarin segment
Method
Gently muddle the mandarin in the bottom of your glass Add remaining ingredients to the glass Fill with ice and gently stir Garnish with the mint and mandarin segment
Dan’s top tips
There’s so much choice when it comes to the sparkling wine you use in this recipe – some may prefer a sweeter touch, but for our money, it’s all about fresh prosecco or dry sparkling wine. It’s up to you. One of the best things about Spritzes is that there’s usually not much in the way of tricky technique needed to get them right. The same is essentially true here, but you will want to make sure you muddle the mandarin properly. Muddling is basically just gently pressing or mashing a cocktail ingredient to release its flavour into the drink – ideally with a wooden muddler, if you have one, but anything long and blunt will do (the end of a wooden spoon works well). Here, we’ve called for a quarter of a mandarin, muddled in the base of the glass. The thing to remember here is that the skin of the mandarin is where the essential oils (and, therefore, all the flavour and aroma) live. So, muddle gently – you’re doing it in the glass so go easy – and definitely don’t remove that skin.
1. What is a Mandarin Hugo Spritz?
The OG Hugo Spritz is a mix of sparkling wine, soda water and elderflower syrup or liqueur. The Mandarin Hugo Spritz is basically the same, but with a muddled mandarin for extra citrus flavour.
2. What does mandarin bring to the Hugo Spritz?
Mandarin brings bright, juicy citrus flavours and delicious aromas to a classic Hugo Spritz.
3. Can I make a Mandarin Hugo Spritz without alcohol?
Yes! If you prefer to go without any alcohol, you can replace elderflower liqueur with elderflower syrup or cordial, and substitute alcoholic sparkling wine for a non-alcoholic alternative.
