This spritz has been a Bar Mezzana staple since the restaurant’s inception, with bartenders now turning out hundreds each week. But the signature drink had much humbler beginnings.

“This drink was something we used to do as a gratis joke cocktail for industry folks when we worked at No. 9 Park,” says beverage director Ryan Lotz. “We wanted to use this peach liqueur we weren’t sure what to do with. Outside of Sex on the Beach, there aren’t that many cocktails that call for peach liqueur.”

Eventually, the No. 9 Park team started searching for ingredients to balance out the liqueur’s sweetness—and finally settled on Campari.

“Campari has that very bitter backbone that makes it a great balancing act,” Lotz says.

In addition to Campari, the current iteration is made with a French peach liqueur, Mathilde Pêche de Vigne, and Moscato d’Asti, a sparkling Italian dessert wine. With a splash of soda water, it manages to be thirst-quenchingly refreshing yet tart and bittersweet. Best of all, its low ABV ensures that you can crush several over the course of a long lunch. If that isn’t the true definition of #spritzlife, then we don’t know what is.

Mezzana Spritz
¾ ounce Campari
½ ounce Mathilde Pêche de Vigne
2 ounces soda water
2 ounces Moscato d’Asti
Orange wheel and mint sprig, for garnish

Fill a highball glass with ice and add Campari, Pêche de Vigne, and soda water. Top with Moscato d’Asti and add garnishes.