Limoncello Spritz

Limoncello Spritz

Overview Video Ingredients Instructions Optional Tips Variations

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Drinks

Three ingredients, five minutes, and Wonderful® Seedless Lemons for the freshest finish.

Difficulty: Easy — No equipment needed beyond a wine glass and a jigger. The drink comes together in under five minutes.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time:

N/A

Total Time: 5 minutes

Difficulty:

Easy

Serves:

Yield:

N/A

Overview

The limoncello spritz is simple by design, which means every element has to be right. A wedge of Wonderful Seedless Lemons pressed gently into the glass releases a bloom of fresh citrus oil that opens up the whole drink.

Ingredients

Limoncello:

750 mL vodka
8 Wonderful Seedless Lemons
4 cups water
3 cups granulated sugar

For each cocktail:

1 cup ice
2 oz. limoncello
3 oz. chilled Prosecco
1 oz. club soda or seltzer
1 sprig mint for garnish
3 slices Wonderful Seedless Lemons for garnish

Instructions

For the limoncello: Peel the lemons and add the skins to a glass container or jar. Pour in the vodka and close to seal. Place it in a cool place for at least two weeks, ideally a month; stir every couple of days.
When the limoncello mixture is ready, prepare the syrup. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the water, sugar, and juice from the lemons. Cook until the sugar has dissolved completely. Transfer it to the refrigerator to chill for at least 20 minutes.
Strain the limoncello and discard the skins. Combine the cooled simple syrup and limoncello mixture; transfer it to glass bottles or jars.
Prepare the cocktail: For each serving, add ice to a glass; top it with limoncello, Prosecco, and club soda. Stir to mix well. Garnish it with the mint sprig and lemon slices. Serve immediately.

Optional Tips

Use chilled limoncello. Room-temperature limoncello melts the ice quickly and dilutes the drink before it reaches your guest. Keep the bottle in the freezer: limoncello’s high sugar content keeps it from freezing solid, and a frozen-cold pour starts the drink exactly right.
Choose dry prosecco. Most limoncello is already sweet, and a sweeter sparkling wine pushes the drink past refreshing into cloying. Brut or extra-dry Prosecco provides the balance the drink needs.
Use large ice cubes. Large-format ice melts more slowly and dilutes the drink less than small cubes or crushed ice. For a spritz served in a wide glass, two or three large cubes maintain the right temperature through the entire drink.
One gentle stir only. The drink should be lightly integrated, not uniformly mixed. A single slow stir brings the limoncello and Prosecco together without destroying the carbonation. If you can hear the bubbles still working after you stir, you did it right.
Squeeze the lemon garnish. Even a small amount of pressure on the wedge when placing it in or on the glass releases the essential oils from the skin. The aroma difference is immediate and significant. Wonderful Seedless Lemons produce clean, consistent zest and juice with no seeds to interrupt the garnish.
Scale up for a crowd. For eight servings from a single batch, combine one cup (8 oz.) of limoncello with one standard bottle (750 mL, approximately 25 oz.) of Prosecco and four ounces of sparkling water in a pitcher. Serve immediately over ice to preserve carbonation. Garnish each glass individually.
Add an herb garnish for a more composed presentation. A sprig of fresh basil or mint tucked alongside the lemon in the glass adds an aromatic dimension without changing the flavor significantly. The herb’s volatiles rise with the carbonation and reach the nose before the first sip.
Make it a mocktail. Replace the limoncello with two ounces of fresh lemon juice from Wonderful Seedless Lemons combined with one ounce of honey simple syrup (one part honey, one part warm water). Replace the prosecco with non-alcoholic sparkling wine or good sparkling water. Add ice and garnish as usual.

Variations

Limoncello Aperol Spritz. Add one ounce of Aperol to the glass before the limoncello. Aperol’s bittersweet citrus and herbal profile pairs well with the lemon liqueur and gives the drink more complexity, moving it closer to a classic Aperol spritz but with a pronounced lemon character.
Limoncello Rosé Spritz. Substitute chilled Prosecco Rosé or a crémant rosé for the standard prosecco. The rosé contributes a berry note that contrasts with the lemon in an interesting way and makes the drink visually striking, particularly good for entertaining.
Frozen Limoncello Spritz. Combine two ounces of limoncello, two ounces of Prosecco, and one cup of ice in a blender. Blend until slushy. Pour into a glass, top with a small splash of sparkling water, and garnish with a lemon wheel. Serve immediately.
Elderflower Limoncello Spritz. Add half an ounce of elderflower liqueur such as St-Germain with the limoncello. The elderflower’s light, floral sweetness amplifies the lemon character and adds complexity without requiring any additional technique.
Fresh Lemon Limoncello Spritz. Add half an ounce of fresh lemon juice from Wonderful Seedless Lemons along with the garnish to make the drink more lemon-forward. This bridges the cooked, warm lemon of the limoncello with a live, bright citrus note and is particularly good in winter when fresh citrus is at its peak.
Sparkling Lemonade Spritz (Mocktail). Combine two ounces of fresh lemon juice from Wonderful Seedless Lemons with one ounce of honey simple syrup. Top with four ounces of sparkling water and a splash of non-alcoholic sparkling wine if available. Serve over ice with a lemon wheel and basil sprig. This mocktail captures the light, citrusy spirit of the spritz without any alcohol.

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