Aperol Spritz Alternatives: Spritzes to Try Next
If the Aperol Spritz is your house drink and you want an Aperol Spritz alternative to add to the summer roster, here's the one we keep recommending: a Lillet Rosé spritz. Take one part Lillet Aperitif Rosé ($21.99), one part club soda, pour over ice, done. It's lighter and less bitter than an Aperol Spritz — fresh red berries and orange peel instead of that big bittersweet punch — and it could not be easier to build (the recipe is literally on the back of the bottle). That's the headline swap. Below are five spritz builds we can stock for you right now, from a $12.99 everyday Prosecco to a proper Venetian Select Spritz and a couple of bitter-but-different aperitivos, so you can rotate through the whole summer without pouring the same drink twice.
The short answer: The easy upgrade for an Aperol Spritz drinker is a Lillet Rosé spritz — one part Lillet Aperitif Rosé ($21.99) to one part club soda over ice. For more spritzes in stock: the Select Spritz with Apertivio Select ($29.99), a softer Montenegro Spritz with Amaro Montenegro ($29.99), and a bittersweet Ramazzotti Rosato Spritz with Ramazzotti Aperitivo Rosato ($22.99). Build any of them on Jeio Prosecco Brut DOCG ($16.99) or value Luca Paretti Prosecco ($12.99).
| Spritz | Base bottle | Price | The vibe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lillet Rosé Spritz | Lillet Aperitif Rosé | $21.99 | Light, berry-and-citrus, low-bitter, two ingredients |
| Select Spritz | Apertivio Select | $29.99 | The original Venetian spritz, drier and more herbal |
| Montenegro Spritz | Amaro Montenegro | $29.99 | Softer, orange-and-spice, gentler bitterness |
| Ramazzotti Rosato Spritz | Ramazzotti Aperitivo Rosato | $22.99 | Bright pink, bittersweet, closest to Aperol's lane |
| Everyday Prosecco base | Luca Paretti Prosecco | $12.99 | Dry, clean fizz to build any spritz on |
Why the Aperol Spritz Took Over (And Why You Want a Backup)
The Aperol Spritz earned its spot. It's bright, it's bitter-sweet, it's low in alcohol, it looks great in the glass, and the recipe is dead simple: three parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol, one part soda. It became the universal warm-weather drink because it's hard to mess up and easy to love. No argument here.
But here's the thing about a house drink: by August you've had it forty times, and the same big bittersweet-orange note starts to feel like a default rather than a choice. That's not a knock on Aperol, it's just how a single flavor wears over a season. The good news is that "spritz" isn't a brand, it's a format — something aromatic over bubbles and soda, on ice, in a wine glass — and the format takes a dozen directions. You can go lighter and fruitier, you can go drier and more herbal, you can go softer and spicier, or you can stay in the bittersweet lane with a different shade of it. Build a small roster and you'll never pour the same spritz twice. Everything below we can stock for you right now.
A note on who's telling you this: we're Cambridge Wines, a three-location New Jersey wine shop that ships out of state, with a full aperitivo and sparkling selection. These are the bottles and builds our buyers actually mix at home.
The Headline Swap: The Lillet Rosé Spritz — $21.99
This is the one we hand people first, and it's almost embarrassingly easy. Lillet Aperitif Rosé is a French aperitif wine — a blend of wine and fruit liqueurs — and it makes a spritz that's lighter and far less bitter than Aperol. The build is two ingredients: one part Lillet Rosé, one part club soda, poured over a big glass of ice (two ounces each, or pour with your heart). The recipe's on the back of the bottle. That's it.
What you get is fresh red berries and orange peel, a clean low-alcohol lift, and a balanced, refreshing finish that doesn't tire you out after one. It's the move for someone who likes the idea of the Aperol Spritz — pretty, sessionable, summery — but finds the bitterness a bit much by the third one. It's also the easiest possible entry to spritz-making: no measuring jigger, no third ingredient, no fuss. If you add one new spritz to the lineup this summer, make it this. At $21.99 a bottle pours a lot of them.
The Original: The Select Spritz — $29.99
Want to go the other direction and get more serious about the spritz? Apertivio Select is the original spritz aperitivo from Venice — it predates the Aperol Spritz boom and is what locals in Venice actually drink. It's a touch drier and more herbal than Aperol, with rhubarb, gentian, and a deeper bitter-orange complexity.
Build it like a classic: three parts Prosecco, two parts Select, a splash of soda, ice, an olive or an orange slice. The result is a spritz with more backbone and less candy-sweetness — the connoisseur's version of the drink you already love. This is the bottle for the friend who's "over" the Aperol Spritz but still wants a spritz; hand them a Select Spritz and watch them reconsider. At $29.99 it's a real aperitivo bottle that makes the more authentic, grown-up version of your house drink.
The Soft One: The Montenegro Spritz — $29.99
If bitterness is the part you'd actually like to dial down, this is your spritz. Amaro Montenegro is one of the most approachable Italian amari — orange peel, vanilla, warm baking spice, and only a gentle bitter edge. Over Prosecco and soda it makes a spritz that's softer, rounder, and more aromatic than an Aperol Spritz, almost like an orange-and-spice cream soda for grown-ups.
Build it the same easy way: a generous pour of Montenegro, top with Prosecco and a splash of soda over ice, big orange twist. It's the spritz for people who say they "don't like bitter drinks" but still want something interesting and low-proof — it converts Aperol skeptics. It's also the most versatile bottle on this list, because Montenegro is a genuinely great amaro to sip on its own or after dinner, so it earns its place on the bar twice over.
The Closest Cousin: The Ramazzotti Rosato Spritz — $22.99
If you actually love the bittersweet-pink character of the Aperol Spritz and just want a different version of it, Ramazzotti Aperitivo Rosato is the closest cousin. It's a bright pink aperitivo with red-berry, hibiscus, and citrus notes and a clean bittersweet finish — same family as Aperol, a different and arguably prettier shade of it.
Build it three parts Prosecco, two parts Ramazzotti Rosato, splash of soda, ice, grapefruit or orange. You keep the easy bittersweet-spritz format you're hooked on, you just swap in a fresher, more floral profile. This is the lowest-risk swap on the page: if you genuinely like your Aperol Spritz and only want variety, start here. At $22.99 it slots right into the same job.
The Base Matters: What Prosecco to Build On
A spritz is mostly the bubbles, so don't skip this part. You want a dry, clean Prosecco — not a sweet one that fights the aperitivo. For everyday spritz-building by the case, Luca Paretti Prosecco Brut at $12.99 is the value workhorse: dry, balanced, and exactly what you want under a spritz. If you want a notch more finesse in the glass, the Jeio Prosecco Brut DOCG at $16.99 brings the higher Valdobbiadene classification and a finer bead. (The Lillet Rosé spritz is the exception — it uses soda only, no Prosecco, which is part of why it's so easy.)
For the full aperitivo lineup, our Liqueur collection has the amari and aperitivos, and our Sparkling & Champagne collection has the Prosecco to build on.
So Should You Ditch the Aperol Spritz?
Not at all — keep it. It's a great drink and it earned its place. The point here isn't to replace your house spritz, it's to give you a roster so you're not pouring the identical thing all summer. Stock a Lillet Rosé for the light low-bitter days, a Select for when you want the authentic Venetian version, a Montenegro for the bitter-averse crowd, and a Ramazzotti Rosato when you want the Aperol vibe in a new color — plus a dry value Prosecco to build them all on. Five bottles, an entire summer of spritzes, and not one of them the same. That's the upgrade.
People Also Ask
What is a good alternative to an Aperol Spritz?
The easiest upgrade is a Lillet Rosé spritz — one part Lillet Aperitif Rosé ($21.99) to one part club soda over ice. It's lighter and less bitter than Aperol, with fresh red berries and orange peel. If you want to keep the bittersweet character, Ramazzotti Aperitivo Rosato ($22.99) is the closest cousin, and Apertivio Select ($29.99) is the original, drier Venetian spritz.
How do you make a Lillet Rosé spritz?
It's the easiest spritz there is: one part Lillet Aperitif Rosé and one part club soda, poured over a glass of ice — two ounces each, or pour to taste. No Prosecco and no third ingredient needed. The result is a light, berry-and-citrus, low-bitterness spritz, and the recipe is printed right on the back of the Lillet Rosé bottle ($21.99).
What is the difference between Aperol and Select?
Both are Italian spritz aperitivos, but Select is the original Venetian one and predates the Aperol Spritz boom. Select is a touch drier and more herbal than Aperol, with rhubarb, gentian, and a deeper bitter-orange complexity, while Aperol is sweeter and more straightforwardly bittersweet-orange. Made into a spritz, Apertivio Select ($29.99) gives you a more grown-up, less candy-sweet version of the drink.
What is the least bitter spritz?
The least bitter spritzes we'd point you to are the Lillet Rosé spritz (with Lillet Aperitif Rosé, $21.99), which is light and berry-forward with very little bitterness, and the Montenegro Spritz (with Amaro Montenegro, $29.99), which is soft, orange-and-spice forward with only a gentle bitter edge. Both convert people who say they don't like bitter drinks.
Browse Cambridge's Aperitivo and Sparkling Selection
Every bottle and build here is something we can put in your hand right now — our buyers actually mix these at home. The fastest path is the quick-picks table up top: pick your spritz, grab the base bottle, build it. For the full range, our Liqueur collection has the aperitivos and amari, and our Sparkling & Champagne collection has the Prosecco to build on.
Putting together a summer party box or a gift for a spritz lover? Our curated wine case is how we build a mixed selection worth opening. And if you came for the bubbles themselves, our guide to more interesting Proseccos than La Marca names the bottles worth pouring straight, not just mixing.