Swap Prosecco for Lambrusco in This Easy Red-Wine Spritz

The Pineapple-Lambrusco Spritz is a simple summer cocktail made with fresh pineapple juice, Campari, crème de cacao, fresh lemon, raspberry liqueur, and Lambrusco, an Italian sparkling wine. It’s served in a tumbler filled with ice, and offer a fruity, slightly bittersweet flavor profile with a backbone of nutty richness.

Lauded bartenders Sam Ross and Michael McIlroy developed this drink for their New York City bar Good Guy’s. At the spritz bar, the drink is called the Long Legs, and is garnished with a flexed cocktail umbrella (a Good Guy’s signature). 

A favorite of our test kitchen, the fruity and nutty flavor profile of this cocktail was described as “an adult version of fruit punch” by Food & Wine recipe tester Marianne Williams. 

Why the Pineapple-Lambrusco Spritz works

This cocktail has a lengthier ingredient list than is common for a spritz, but is built in the glass using a simple technique. Pineapple juice and raspberry liqueur add sweetness and fruity notes, while lemon juice provides tart, puckery flavor. Campari serves as the primary alcoholic component, and the citrus and spiced notes in the bittersweet liqueur play off the other more fruity ingredients. Just a touch (1/4 ounce) of crème de cacao rounds out the cocktail, adding creamy richness and nutty depth. 

While most spritzes lean on Prosecco, this one features Lambrusco, a berry-forward red sparkling wine from Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region. The tannins in the Lambrusco combine with the bittersweet Campari to add structure to the cocktail, while the raspberry-blackberry notes in the wine play off the liqueurs.