The Aperol Spritz has had a good run. But Brendan Coyle, owner of Dendric Estate, would like to remind us that neither Aperol nor summer has a monopoly on the spritz. Nor is the term “spritzer.” A spritz is a spritz, is a spritz.
Coyle’s starting point is Dry Cut, Dendric Estate’s flagship sparkling cider, made using the same method as Italian Prosecco. Dry Cut, as the name indicates, is bone dry, acid-driven and built to drink like sparkling wine.
“We’re essentially making a sparkling wine using the Charmat method,” Coyle says. And that’s not just a comparison. “I’m a licensed winery here. I pay sparkling wine tax. I don’t pay cider tax.” Dry Cut, he says, delivers “that sparkling-wine drinking experience—especially nice and dry, bright acidity—but you’re coming at it from the cider world.”
That also makes Dry Cut particularly happy behind the bar. For the Dendric Spritz, Coyle takes the familiar summer cocktail into cooler weather: equal parts Campari and amaro, topped with Dry Cut. The Campari supplies bitterness; the amaro adds sweetness, complexity and a chance to adjust the drink as the season changes.
“That’s kind of the fun,” Coyle says. Amaro Nonino makes a lighter, sweeter version, but as fall settles in, he reaches for something darker. “Going into fall, I’d do something darker with a little more licorice to it,” he says, suggesting Montenegro or Averna. A recent patio experiment with Averna proved particularly successful: “Some of those licorice notes kind of came through. I was just like, it’s just a really awesome setup.”
The result keeps the bubbles and easygoing nature of a summer spritz but gives it enough bitter, dark-edged backbone for cooling evenings and crunchy leaves.
Like baseball, as Coyle puts it: “Spritz isn’t just for summer. It can play in the fall, too.”
The Dendric Spritz
Mix It Up
No precision barware required. “Most everybody has a shot glass, right?” Coyle says. “Half a shot of Campari, half a shot of amaro, top with Dendric Estate Dry Cut, and you’re there.”
½ shot Campari
½ shot amaro
Dendric Estate Dry Cut
Ice
Garnish as desired
Fill a wine glass with ice. Add equal parts Campari and amaro, then top with Dry Cut. Try Amaro Nonino for a lighter version; Montenegro or Averna will take the drink deeper into fall.
