Low-ABV Winter Spritz
A warming low-alcohol spritz built on vermouth, warm orange juice, soda and a touch of cinnamon.
Ingredients
- 20 ml sweet vermouth or light amaro
- 100 ml warm fresh orange juice
- 60 ml soda water
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 orange peel twist, to garnish
Method
- Warm the fresh orange juice gently in a small saucepan until just hot, not boiling.
- Pour the warm orange juice into a heatproof glass or wine glass.
- Add the vermouth and the pinch of ground cinnamon.
- Top with cold soda water for a contrasting lift.
- Stir once, very gently, to preserve the bubbles.
- Express the orange peel over the glass and drop it in as garnish.
How to serve
- Glassware
- Wine glass
- Serve temperature
- Warm
- Garnish
- Orange peel twist
The spritz is a summer drink in most people’s heads, but the structure — fortified wine, juice, soda — is well suited to colder weather with a small twist. This low-abv version uses warm fresh orange juice as the base, a measured 20 ml of vermouth for backbone, and a final pour of cold soda to keep the spritz character alive. A pinch of cinnamon links it to the season without turning it into a mulled drink.
Warm and cold in the same glass
Combining warm juice with cold soda sounds odd until you taste it. The overall temperature stays comfortably warm, but the bubbles register more clearly because they are not flattened by heat. Vermouth, with its herbal and slightly bitter edge, knits both halves together and gives the drink a structure that orange juice alone could not provide. Cinnamon should be a whisper, not a dusting; too much and the spritz starts to drift towards mulled territory, losing its lift.
A few practical points
Use fresh juice if possible — bottled juice tends to taste flat once warmed. Heat it gently and stop well before it bubbles; the goal is hot, not cooked. A wine glass works better than a tumbler here because it concentrates the orange aroma at the rim. Express the peel firmly over the surface so the oils sit on top, then drop it in. Drink while it is still warm; the spritz character fades as the soda goes flat.
If you fancy a fully hot serve in the same winter mood, our Hot Apple Gin is a sensible next pour.
Frequently asked questions
Sweet or dry vermouth?
Sweet vermouth integrates better with warm orange juice. Dry vermouth works but reads sharper and needs a little honey to balance.
Why use both warm juice and cold soda?
The contrast keeps the drink warm overall but adds a fresh lift on top, closer to a true spritz than a mulled drink.
What is the approximate ABV?
With 20 ml of vermouth at around 15% ABV in roughly 180 ml of liquid, the finished spritz sits near 3% ABV.
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