Spritzer - Definition and Overview

A spritzer is a tall, chilled drink, usually made with white wine and soda water.

The word comes from the German spritzen "sprinkle", i.e. adding water and thus diluting the wine so that it can be consumed in larger, thirst-quenching amounts without the negative effects of alcohol.

Spritzer is a false friend with respect name of the drink in most of Germany, where the word "Schorle", which derives from French, is used. However, in Austria, Spritzer is the normal term, together with the more common form G'spritzter.

In the United States, some non-alcoholic carbonated juices are sold as spritzer, including OceanSpray Juice Spritzers.

See also

• alcoholic beverage