How to prepare the original Venetian Spritz

It is strictly served with the large green olive, has an indistinguishable ruby ​​red color and a balanced sweet-bitter taste: it is the original Venetian Spritz, symbol of the convivial and social aperitif, which arrived in the Serenissima long before it became an international trend. In Venice, for one hundred and three years, the secret of the Spritz has been Selectthe aperitif born in 1920 from the genius of the brothers Mario and Vittorio Pilla and today the flagship of Gruppo Montenegro, strong in a recognizable territorial identity, both in Italy and abroad, in a history spanning over a century and in a recipe that has remained faithful to that of the origins. It was 1919 when, in the midst of the post-war period, two young entrepreneurs from Bologna, Mario and Vittorio Pilla, founded Fratelli Pilla & C. in the Castello district, the historic heart of the Serenissima, giving a strong boost to the economic and social rebirth of the territory. A contribution that came to fruition on 29 May 1920 with the birth of Select, which soon became a protagonist in fashionable salons and clubs in the lagoon.

However, it was only from the mid-1960s that a new fashion began to grow in Venice, which then exploded from the 1970s, when the Venetian Spritz established itself in the version we know today: Select, prosecco, soda or seltzer and l ‘inevitable green olive.

But the particularities of Select, in addition to its history and its recipe, also lie in the origins of its name, strongly linked to the territory of origin. The Pilla brothers, in fact, used to take part in the social life of the Venetian aristocracy. In the memoirs of a famous noblewoman of the time, Maria Damerini, it is said that the name Select was indicated to Vittorio Pilla by the poet Gabriele D’Annunzio, during a prestigious dinner on the Giudecca Canal for the Feast of the Redeemer. On that occasion, the famous poet wanted to praise the product for its refined and refined taste, coining the name Select from the contracted form of the Latin Selectuswhich means “selected”, to underline how it was his favorite choice.

The original recipe for the Venetian aperitif

17.5% alcohol content, iconic colour, Select is an authentic symbol of Venice. A product that has made history, especially mixed with prosecco in a glass to be filled with soda or seltzer and garnished with a large green olive. Thus, in Venice, an aperitif has been drunk for more than a century.

The result of a complex production process lasting nine months, with a recipe that involves boiling thirty different aromatic herbs (including rhubarb roots, which give the intense bitter note, and juniper berries, the only ones distilled in purity, which give great structure and persistence) the Select stands out on the nose for hints of essential oils and citrus fruits, supported by balsamic and fresh notes, and on the palate for an intense and complex taste.