“Evoking memories of countryside rambles and summer fêtes, there can be few more quintessentially British flavours than elderflower,” said Andrew Ellson in The Times.
Ocado has reported a year-on-year rise of 107% demand for elderflower liqueur, one of the key ingredients in the Hugo spritz. It seems the wildly popular cocktail could be set to “dethrone” Aperol as “spritz of the summer”.
Despite going viral on TikTok in recent years, the Hugo spritz is said to have been invented two decades ago in northern Italy. Roland Gruber created the refreshing beverage as a “lighter version” of the Aperol spritz at his bar in South Tyrol, originally replacing the Italian bitter aperitif with lemon balm syrup, which changed to the more widely available St-Germain elderflower liqueur as the drink caught on beyond the region.
Aperol spritzes “tend to go downhill” before you can finish them, said Claudia Cockerell in London’s The Standard. By the time you’ve reached the halfway point, the “lurid orange liquid tastes more and more like cough syrup”. The Hugo spritz is far more sophisticated.
“It’s a lovely cocktail”, said Carrie Allen in The Washington Post. The elderflower liqueur (or cordial if you want an “even lighter” version) infuses the Hugo with a delicate hint of “floral aromatics” while the “crisp” prosecco and “big floof of mint” help to enhance the herbaceous flavour.
I make my Hugo spritz at home with elderflower liqueur (you can swap this for cordial mixed with gin or vodka), a few leaves of mint, prosecco, sparkling water and a dash of Angostura bitters, said Richard Godwin in The Observer. Make sure you “slap the mint to release the aromas” before mixing with the other ingredients and garnishing with a slice of lemon.
If that sounds too labour-intensive, you can always pop to the supermarket. Aldi’s “viral” 750ml bottle of the cocktail costs just £4.49 and warrants the “hype” when you realise bars are “charging £10 for a thimble”, said Sarah Barltrop in the Express. I was “dubious” about trying a pre-packaged version, but to my relief it was “light, delicately bubbly” and not too sweet. “It’s a bargain”.
The refreshing elderflower-based tipple is giving Aperol a run for its money
