The Como Spritz Is a Trip to Italy in a Glass

The Como Spritz is a fruity and bittersweet Prosecco cocktail made with Cynar amaro, tangy passion fruit syrup, fresh lemon juice, and sparkling wine. This cocktail balances tropical fruit notes with herbaceous amaro aromas. The drink is served in a tumbler glass over ice and garnished with an orange slice. 

The recipe for the Como Spritz was developed by veteran bartenders Sam Ross and Michael McIlroy for their New York City bar Good Guy’s, a spritz-centric cocktail bar that serves Spanish-inspired tapas. The duo is best known for their award-winning bar, Attaboy, which is located just next door to Good Guy’s.

This low-ABV spritz balances ingredients with bold flavors: sweet-tart passion fruit syrup, bracing fresh lemon juice, and slightly vegetal and bittersweet Cynar amaro. The drink gets topped with Proscecco, which adds some more fruitiness and that signature spritz effervescence. 

What makes the Como Spritz work? 

This amaro spritz is taken to the next level with some choice ingredients and tactful technique. Cynar (a Venetian amaro made from artichokes) has a more vegetal and herbaceous flavor profile compared to other Italian amari. The grassy notes in the Cynar blend well with the tart and floral flavors of the passion fruit, and the fresh lemon cuts through any sweetness. 

While a high-quality store-bought passion fruit syrup like Liber & Co.’s can be used, it’s easy to make at home, too. Simply combine equal parts passion fruit puree and simple syrup in a blender or with an immersion blender until well mixed. 

This cocktail employs a slightly unconventional technique, as one third of the Prosecco is added to the glass with the other ingredients before the ice is added. This allows some of the Prosecco to blend seamlessly into the rest of the drink, adding both flavor and lightening the texture of the cocktail. The rest of the Prosecco is added after the ice goes in for additional effervescence.

This recipe was developed by Sam Ross and Michael McIlroy; the text was written by Lucy Simon.