diego spritz (aka an elderflower lemon spritz)
i love a hugo spritz, but i don’t love buying a bottle of st-germain elderflower liqueur just to use an ounce or two before it inevitably gets pushed to the back of my already too-full liquor cabinet.
while perusing the alcohol aisle of trader joe’s in preparation for my spanish wine bar night, i spotted trader joe’s elderflower lemon soda, and went “oh wait, maybe this would work??”. turns out, it does!
this spritz is reminiscent of a classic hugo — light, floral, citrusy, refreshing, but think of it as its less sweet, lower ABV cousin. i swapped the prosecco for cava as it felt more fitting for a tapas-inspired wine bar night. cava is a little crisper and less sweet than its italian cousin.
i named this the diego spritz (get it, because it’s spanish) and it ended up being one of the two drinks we served and was arguably the guest favorite for being more refreshing and easier to drink.
if you’re looking for an easy summer cocktail, hosting a backyard happy hour, or simply wondering what to do with trader joe’s elderflower lemon soda, this one’s for you. would also highly recommend going the extra step and making some lemon cubes to pair with it as they got so many compliments and instantly elevated this simple spritz.
i used (per drink)
- 4 oz cava
- 2 oz trader joe’s elderflower lemon soda (optionally, you can increase the ratio of the soda to 1:1 or even 2:1 for something sweeter!)
- splash of sparkling water
- mint sprig
- lemon ice cube
to make a diego spritz
- in a wine glass, add a lemon ice cube, pour in the elderflower soda and cava
- top with a splash of sparkling water
- lightly clap the mint between your hands to release the oils and add it to a wine glass.
lemon ice cubes
- slice a lemon into half moons and tuck the slices into a large ice cube tray (should vaguely resemble a flower). pour lemon sparkling water (or water) over the top until the lemons are just covered, then freeze until solid.
- i love using spindrift here because it keeps the drinks from getting watered down as the ice melts.
diego spritz
Ingredients
- 4 oz cava
- 2 oz trader joe’s elderflower lemon soda if you like sweeter cocktails, you can increase this to a 1:1 ratio, or even a 2:1 ratio with the cava
- splash of sparkling water
- 1 sprig mint
- 1 lemon ice cube
Instructions
- fill a wine glass with a lemon ice cube.
- pour in the cava and elderflower lemon soda, then top with a splash of sparkling water.
- lightly clap the mint between your hands to release the oils, then tuck it into the glass.