Hugo Spritz

What Is a Hugo Spritz?

The Hugo Spritz is a light, floral aperitivo built from sparkling wine, elderflower and soda water, served long over ice in a large wine glass with mint and lime.

It belongs to the spritz family alongside the Aperol Spritz, but where the Aperol is bitter and orange-led, the Hugo is floral and considerably gentler. That difference is why so many people who dislike bitter cocktails end up ordering one.

Our Highland Boundary version keeps the classic structure and replaces the usual elderflower liqueur with Birch and Elderflower Wild Scottish Liqueur, which brings a fresh birch note that stops the drink tipping into sweetness.

What Is in a Hugo Spritz?

The traditional Hugo Spritz ingredients are Prosecco, elderflower syrup or liqueur, soda water, fresh mint and a slice of lime. Ratios vary considerably between bars, with some following the standard three-two-one spritz formula and others going much heavier on the sparkling wine.

Our recipe uses 50 ml of Birch and Elderflower Wild Scottish Liqueur with 150 ml of Prosecco and 50 to 100 ml of soda. That is a Prosecco-forward build, which keeps the drink dry and refreshing rather than syrupy.

The mint and lime are garnishes here rather than muddled ingredients, so they work on the aroma more than the flavour. If you want them to do more, muddle the mint into the liqueur first.

What Does a Hugo Spritz Taste Like?

A well-made Hugo Spritz should taste light, floral and dry, with the elderflower providing sweetness on the nose and the sparkling wine keeping the palate crisp. It should never feel heavy or cloying.

Most commercial elderflower liqueurs lead almost entirely with floral sweetness, which can make the drink one-dimensional as the ice melts.

In our version, the birch changes that. It adds a fresh, faintly wintergreen quality underneath the elderflower that carries through to the finish, so the drink holds its interest right to the bottom of the glass.

The Highland Boundary Hugo Spritz

The Hugo is built on elderflower, which puts our Birch and Elderflower Wild Scottish Liqueur in exactly the right place. Elderflower is front and centre in the liqueur rather than being one botanical among many.

What sets it apart from a standard elderflower liqueur is the birch. Our liqueur is made with birch buds and elderflowers hand-picked from Perthshire woodlands near the distillery, and the birch deliberately takes the edge off the sweetness.

That matters more in a spritz than in almost any other drink. A spritz sits in the glass for a while, and as the ice melts a sweeter liqueur becomes progressively more obvious. The freshness of the birch keeps the balance where it should be.

At 20% ABV the liqueur also sits at a sensible strength for a long aperitivo, so a 50 ml measure alongside Prosecco produces a drink you can enjoy over an hour without it running away with you.

A Brief History of the Hugo Spritz

The Hugo is a genuinely modern cocktail. It was created in 2005 by the bartender Roland Gruber in Naturno, a village in South Tyrol, the German-speaking Alpine province in the north of Italy.

Gruber's original version used lemon balm syrup rather than elderflower, and he reportedly settled on the name Hugo simply because he wanted something short that was not already taken.

Elderflower replaced the lemon balm fairly quickly, largely because it was easier for other bars to source, and that version is the one that spread. Within a few years the Hugo had become the standard aperitivo across South Tyrol, then across Austria and southern Germany.

Its arrival in Britain took considerably longer. The drink only reached wide recognition here in the 2020s, helped enormously by social media and by drinkers looking for something lighter than an Aperol Spritz.

How the Hugo Spritz Became Famous

The Hugo spent well over a decade as a regional speciality, enormously popular in Alpine Italy and Austria while remaining almost unknown elsewhere.

What changed was the wider spritz boom. Once the Aperol Spritz had established the category in Britain, bars and drinkers went looking for alternatives, and the Hugo was the obvious candidate: same format, same glass, none of the bitterness.

Social media did the rest. The pale colour, the mint and the oversized wine glass photograph well, and elderflower has an appeal that reaches drinkers who would never order a bitter aperitif.

It has since become one of the fastest growing cocktails in the UK on-trade, and one of the few genuinely new additions to the aperitivo canon in decades.

What Glass Is a Hugo Spritz Served In?

A Hugo Spritz is served in a large wine glass, the same balloon-style glass used for an Aperol Spritz.

The size matters. A big bowl gives you room for plenty of ice and lets the mint aroma collect above the surface of the drink, which is a large part of the experience.

A tall highball will work at a push, but you lose the aromatics and the drink warms up faster because there is less room for ice.

How to Garnish a Hugo Spritz

A generous sprig of fresh mint and a slice of lime are the standard Hugo garnish, and both do real work.

The mint should sit close to the rim where you will smell it on every sip. Slap the sprig between your palms first to release the oils rather than muddling it, which keeps the drink clear.

The lime adds a bright citrus note and a little visual contrast against the pale drink. There is no need to squeeze it in, as the Prosecco already supplies plenty of acidity.

Why Birch and Elderflower Works in a Hugo Spritz

Elderflower is the defining flavour of the Hugo, so a liqueur that leads with elderflower is not a substitution so much as an upgrade.

The birch is what makes the difference. It contributes a fresh, faintly green note that runs underneath the floral sweetness and gives the drink a second dimension, which is exactly what a three-ingredient build needs.

The combination also gives a Hugo made in Scotland a genuine reason to exist. Rather than importing a French or Italian liqueur to make an Italian drink, you are using elderflower picked from Perthshire woodlands, which is about as close to the spirit of a South Tyrolean aperitivo as you can get without being in the Alps.

When to Serve a Hugo Spritz

The Hugo is an aperitivo above all else, designed to be drunk in the early evening before dinner. Its low strength and dry finish make it an ideal opening drink.

It also works particularly well in warm weather, in a garden or outdoors, where a long cold drink over plenty of ice earns its keep.

For entertaining it is close to ideal, because there is no shaking, no fresh juice and no equipment involved. Keep the Prosecco and soda in the fridge, prepare the garnishes in advance, and each glass takes under a minute to build.

Hugo Spritz FAQs

What alcohol is in a Hugo Spritz?

Prosecco and elderflower liqueur. Our Highland Boundary version uses Birch and Elderflower Wild Scottish Liqueur at 20% ABV alongside Prosecco and soda water.

What is the difference between a Hugo Spritz and an Aperol Spritz?

Both use Prosecco and soda in a large wine glass, but the flavour is completely different. An Aperol Spritz is bitter and orange-led, while a Hugo is floral and considerably lighter. The Hugo is usually the better choice for drinkers who dislike bitterness.

Is a Hugo Spritz sweet?

It is lightly sweet rather than sugary. The elderflower provides the sweetness and the Prosecco and soda keep it dry. Our version uses a liqueur where birch deliberately takes the edge off, so it stays fresher than most.

Can you make a Hugo Spritz with elderflower cordial?

Yes, and many recipes do. A non-alcoholic cordial will make a lighter, sweeter drink, so you may want to use less of it and top with a little more soda to balance.

What sparkling wine should I use?

Dry Prosecco is the traditional choice and pairs naturally with elderflower. Cava or a dry English sparkling wine both work. Avoid anything labelled dolce or demi-sec, as the drink will end up too sweet.

Do you muddle the mint in a Hugo Spritz?

Not usually. The mint is normally a garnish, working on the aroma rather than the flavour. If you prefer a more minty drink, muddle a few leaves into the liqueur before adding ice.

Where does the Hugo Spritz come from?

South Tyrol in northern Italy, where it was created in 2005 by bartender Roland Gruber. The original recipe used lemon balm syrup, with elderflower replacing it shortly afterwards.

How strong is a Hugo Spritz?

Fairly light, which is part of the appeal. Prosecco sits around 11% ABV and our liqueur at 20%, and the soda lengthens the drink further, so a Hugo is considerably weaker than most cocktails.

Can I batch a Hugo Spritz for a party?

Partly. Keep the Prosecco and soda chilled and separate so they stay carbonated, and prepare the ice and garnishes in advance. Build each glass to order, which takes under a minute.