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The Dry Pour April 14, 2026

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Non-Alcoholic Golden Hour Spritz

Aperitif under sparkling wine — a gentler spritz for the end of the day, where the bubbles do as much work as the bitters.

beClink Editorial · April 14, 2026

Non-alcoholic aperol-style spritz with orange slice, ice, and straw in a wine glass on an outdoor patio

Time

5 min

Serves

1

Base

Bitter aperitif

Glass

Stemmed wine glass

Garnish

Orange slice

This is the spritz for anyone who finds the classic a bit sharp. The aperitif still leads, but sparkling wine rounds it out rather than pushing back, and you land somewhere closer to golden hour than happy hour. Two choices decide the drink — which bitter you reach for, and what you top it with — and the second matters more than most recipes admit.

Ingredients

Method

  1. Fill a stemmed wine glass with ice.
  2. Add the aperitif, the sparkling water, and the bitters if you are using them.
  3. Top with the non-alcoholic sparkling wine, poured down the side of the glass.
  4. Don't stir — the pour has already mixed it. Garnish with an orange slice.

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Everything you need to pour this

What we reached for, and what else works. Everything here is in stock — swap freely.

Non-alcoholic bitter aperitif

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We used Roots Divino Rosso Vermouth. Swap it for any of these.

Non-alcoholic sparkling wine

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We used Le Petit Beret Sparkling Rose Sparkling Rose…. Swap it for any of these.

Aromatic bitters (optional)

We used All The Bitters – Aromatic Bitters. Swap it for any of these.

From your kitchen: sparkling water, ice cubes, orange slice.

In this glass

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Make it yours

A rosso vermouth

Orange, gentian and wormwood. The version that lands closest to a classic spritz, and the one to start with.

Bitter orange

The Italian template — Aperol-style, sweeter and brighter. Reach for a drier sparkling underneath it.

A bittersweet aperitif

More bitterness and less sugar, for anyone who finds spritzes sweet. It will take a fuller sparkling wine.

A botanical aperitif

Ghia and its like lead with herbs and citrus peel rather than orange. A different drink rather than a lighter one.

Sparkling tea

Tannin in place of fruit, and it holds its fizz through a long glass. The driest route on this page.

Sparkling rosé

A shade fruitier and better looking in the glass. It suits a bitterer aperitif than you would otherwise use.

Brut, and skip the soda

Shorter, crisper and more of an aperitivo. The version to make with food on the table.

A single-serve bottle

A 200ml or a half bottle covers one or two drinks with nothing left open in the fridge afterwards.

Tonic instead of soda

Quinine adds bitterness the aperitif does not have to supply. Cut the aperitif slightly to keep it balanced.

Less soda

Build it without and taste before you lengthen. Easier than trying to rescue one that has gone watery.

More ice, not less

A full glass dilutes more slowly than a half-empty one. Counterintuitive, and it is the single easiest fix.

Bitters

Two dashes. The cheapest way to make a two-bottle drink taste considered, and it lengthens the finish.

Express the peel

A strip of orange squeezed over the surface before the slice goes in. The oils are most of the aroma.

Fresh orange

A squeeze in before you top it. Brighter, and it stops a sweeter aperitif from sitting flat.

Build the base ahead

Aperitif and soda mixed and kept cold, then top each glass with sparkling as you pour. Bubbles don't do jugs.

One bottle, several glasses

A 750 of sparkling covers roughly eight of these at 90ml, so one bottle and one aperitif serves a room.

How to serve & pair

In a stemmed wine glass, cold, with enough ice that the last mouthful is as cold as the first. It suits the hour it is named for — olives, salted almonds, something to pick at — and it holds up better than most spritzes to sitting on a table while people talk.

Common questions

Which aperitif should I start with?

A rosso or bittersweet style if you want something close to a classic spritz, a lighter botanical one if bitterness is not what you are after. They make noticeably different drinks from the same method, which is the reason to own more than one eventually.

Can I use sparkling tea instead of the wine?

Yes, and it is a different drink rather than a substitute — tannic and firm rather than fruity, and it keeps its fizz through a long glass. Worth trying if you want more grip, and worth knowing it will not read as wine to anyone who was expecting wine.

Why does mine taste thin?

Usually a touch too much soda. Build it without, taste, then lengthen — much easier than going the other way. A dash of bitters will also give a thin one a longer finish without adding sweetness.

Can I make a jug?

Mix the aperitif and soda ahead and keep it cold, then top each glass with sparkling as you pour rather than in the jug. Bubbles are worth the extra thirty seconds, and anything stirred in a jug has lost most of them before it reaches the table.

Do I need the bitters?

No — the drink works without them. They are there because two dashes add length and aroma to a drink built from only two bottles, and a 2oz bottle is a few hundred dashes. Aromatic for depth, orange to push it toward the classic.

What is the ratio?

Two parts aperitif to three parts sparkling, with a splash of soda — 60ml, 90ml and 30ml in this glass. That is a starting point rather than a rule: a sweeter aperitif wants a drier sparkling and less soda, a bitter one takes more of both. Change one thing at a time and taste in between.

BeaNot sure which non-alcoholic bitter aperitif to start with? Tell us how you like your drinks and we’ll point you at one.Ask us →

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