Italicus Spritz: The Bergamot Cocktail You Should Know

If you know bergamot from Earl Grey tea, you already have a sense of what Italicus tastes like. Bright, floral, slightly bitter citrus. Easy to like, interesting enough to keep you paying attention.

The Italicus spritz is lighter and more floral than an Aperol spritz, less bitter than Cappelletti, and different enough from either that guests tend to ask about it. The garnish alone does that. Three green olives on a skewer is not what people expect, and it works.

What Is Italicus?

Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto is an Italian liqueur created by Giuseppe Gallo and released in 2016. It's built around Calabrian bergamot oranges, with additional botanicals including cedro lemons from Sicily, chamomile from Lazio, lavender, gentian, yellow roses, melissa, and iris. The ABV is 20%.

But the product is newer than the tradition behind it. Italicus is a revival of Rosolio, a liqueur category that dates back to the Italian royal courts of the 19th century. Rosolio was the official aperitivo of the King of Italy, served at court in Turin. The category fell out of favor and nearly disappeared for over a century. Italicus brought it back, grounding it in bergamot, one of Italy's most distinct and underused citrus varieties.

Bergamot doesn't get eaten on its own. It's used for its intensely aromatic peel, which shows up in Earl Grey tea, high-end perfumes, and now in a growing number of cocktails. The flavor is floral and citrusy with a light bitterness underneath, unlike any other citrus in common use.

The color is pale gold, almost luminous, which makes for a striking drink in the glass.

The Classic Italicus Spritz Recipe

The official ratio from Italicus is 1:2, one part Italicus to two parts Prosecco, no soda water, garnished with three green olives on a skewer. Many recipes add a splash of soda water for lightness. Both work; the version without is more concentrated in flavor.

The three green olives are not optional if you're going for the real thing. The brininess cuts through the floral sweetness of the Italicus in a way that sounds wrong and tastes exactly right. Same logic as a dirty martini: salt and fat balance sweetness and botanicals. Castelvetrano olives, buttery, mild, bright green, are the best choice.

What you need:

1.5 oz Italicus
3 oz prosecco
Splash of sparkling water (optional)
Ice
Garnish: 3 green olives on a skewer

How to make it:

Fill a large balloon wine glass with ice. Add the Italicus, then the prosecco. Add a splash of sparkling water if using. One gentle stir. Drop in the olive skewer.

On glassware: A balloon glass shows off the pale gold color and gives the botanical aromas room to develop. A rocks glass works if that's what you have.

How Italicus Differs from Other Aperitivos

Aperol is sweeter, more orange-forward, and built around a bitter backbone. It's the most approachable entry point but also the least interesting once you've had it a hundred times.

Cappelletti is wine-based, darker, and more savory-bitter. It's what you reach for when Aperol feels too sweet.

Italicus is the floral option. Lightest of the three in both color and flavor, with bergamot and chamomile doing most of the work. Less bitter than Aperol and considerably less bitter than Cappelletti. If you're serving guests who find aperitivos too harsh, Italicus is often the one that brings them around.

The green olive garnish sets it apart further. No other major spritz does this, and it tends to be memorable.

Italicus Spritz Variations

Italicus Cup: Replace the prosecco with grapefruit soda, or equal parts prosecco and fresh grapefruit juice. The grapefruit amplifies the citrus-bitter notes in the bergamot and creates a sharper, more refreshing drink. Served this way in bars across Italy.

Italicus and Tonic: Skip the prosecco entirely and use tonic water instead. The quinine bitterness adds structure and dries out the drink. Good for people who want something less sweet.

Italicus Highball: Equal parts Italicus and sparkling water over lots of ice, with a lemon twist. No prosecco. Lower ABV, very clean, more of a sessionable drink than an aperitivo.

Italicus Negroni: Equal parts Italicus, gin, and dry vermouth over ice with a lemon peel. Lighter than a classic Negroni but keeps the botanical complexity.

What to Eat with an Italicus Spritz

The olive garnish gives you a clue about what works with this drink. Salty, savory food.

Citrus-marinated olives are a natural pairing, the marinade echoes the bergamot in the Italicus. Prosciutto-wrapped grissini brings saltiness that cuts through the sweetness. Fresh caprese skewers work well for the same reason the olives do: the mozzarella is creamy and mild, which makes the floral complexity of the Italicus more pronounced by contrast.

Smoked salmon canapés are another strong pairing. The smoke and salt against the floral bergamot is a combination worth trying.

A Zero-Proof Italicus Spritz with Jo's Tonic

The floral-botanical character of Italicus translates well to a zero-proof build. The interesting parts of the drink, bergamot, chamomile, lavender, are all botanical rather than alcoholic.

Jo's Original Tonic Concentrate is made with real botanicals including citrus peel, gentian, and herbs, bringing the same layered, slightly bitter-citrus character without the alcohol. Jo's Orange Fennel Tonic is worth trying here too. The orange and fennel combination echoes the citrus-herbal quality of Italicus more closely than almost anything else in the zero-proof space.

Zero-Proof Italicus-Style Spritz:

1 oz Jo's Original Tonic Concentrate (or Orange Fennel Tonic)
4 oz sparkling water
Half-ounce fresh lemon juice
Small pinch of culinary lavender or a lavender sprig (optional)
Ice
Garnish: lemon twist, or a green olive if you want the full experience

Build over ice. Add Jo's, then lemon juice, then sparkling water. One stir. Garnish.

The lemon juice brightens the botanical notes the same way bergamot does in the original. A small splash of bergamot tea (steeped and cooled) makes this version even closer if you can find it.

For more zero-proof spritz options, see our non-alcoholic Aperol spritz, Hugo spritz, and Cappelletti spritz posts. Or browse the full Jo's Tonics collection.

Serving Italicus for a Group

For a group of six to eight, batch the base: combine 9 oz Italicus with 18 oz prosecco in a chilled pitcher. Pour 4 oz over ice per glass and top with a splash of sparkling water individually. Adding sparkling water per glass rather than into the pitcher keeps the bubbles fresh.

Set out a small bowl of Castelvetrano olives and a stack of cocktail picks. Two minutes of setup, looks deliberate.

For more on building a drink setup for hosting, see our Tonic, Spritz and Botanical Drinks hub.

FAQ

What does Italicus taste like?

Italicus tastes like Calabrian bergamot, a floral, aromatic citrus, layered with chamomile, lavender, and a light bitterness from gentian. It's the most floral and least bitter of the major Italian aperitivos, with a pale gold color and a flavor profile that's closer to Earl Grey tea than to orange peel.

Why are green olives used as the garnish in an Italicus spritz?

Green olives are the traditional Italicus garnish because the brininess balances the floral sweetness of the bergamot liqueur. The contrast is similar to a dirty martini: salt and fat cut through sweetness and make the drink more interesting. Castelvetrano olives are the preferred choice for their buttery texture.

What is Rosolio?

Rosolio is an ancient Italian liqueur category, dating back to the royal courts of 19th-century Italy. It was the official aperitivo of the King of Italy and was widely popular before falling out of production. Italicus is a modern revival of this tradition, centered on Calabrian bergamot.

Can I make an Italicus spritz without prosecco?

Yes. Tonic water produces a drier, slightly more bitter result. Grapefruit soda gives you the Italicus Cup, a popular Italian serve. For a zero-proof version, the Jo's tonic build in this post replaces both the prosecco and the liqueur.

Where can I buy Italicus?

Italicus is available at well-stocked liquor stores and widely online. Most stores that carry a serious spirits selection will have it.