The Hugo has barely finished taking Aperol's crown and the next challengers are already lining up. UK Google search interest is climbing for rosé, peach, frozen and alcohol-free spritz variations, according to search trend data published around this summer's National Spritz Day, a sign that Britain's spritz boom is splintering into a whole family of serves.
The scale of that boom is now well documented. Google Trends UK data shows the Hugo Spritz overtook the Aperol Spritz in average search interest for the first time over the 13 weeks to 12 July, while searches for "spritz recipe" doubled year on year. Searches for St-Germain, the elderflower liqueur at the heart of the Hugo, grew by 20% over the same period, and the brand says its UK sales more than doubled in the twelve months to March. The same analysis found growing curiosity around elderflower, rosé, peach, frozen and non-alcoholic spritz variations, and the 2026 Bacardi Cocktail Trends Report found that 34% of British drinkers aged 18 to 29 name the spritz as their number one cocktail for the summer.
None of this came from nowhere. The spritz has been northern Italy's house drink for the best part of two centuries, commonly traced back to Austrian soldiers stationed in the Veneto who asked for a spray, a spritzen, of water in the local wine. Aperol arrived in Padua in 1919, the bittersweet 3-2-1 Aperol Spritz became the aperitivo of the 2000s, and the Hugo is the newest branch of the family, invented in 2005 by South Tyrol barman Roland Gruber, who by most accounts picked the name at random and originally built the drink on lemon balm syrup before elderflower became the standard.
Behind the flavour churn sits a bigger change in how Britain socialises. The Bacardi report found 37% of 18 to 29 year olds say they now socialise earlier in the evening than a year ago, rising to 42% among 30 to 44 year olds, and the spritz, light, long and lower in units than most cocktails, fits that hour of the day better than almost anything else behind the bar.
So who inherits next? The rosé spritz rides the sparkling rosé boom and photographs even better than it drinks. The frozen spritz is the slush-machine treatment of the Aperol serve that Italian beach bars have run for years. The alcohol-free spritz is the fastest moving of the lot as the no and low category matures. And the peach spritz has the deepest roots of any challenger, because peach and fizz is Venice's oldest trick, the pairing behind the Bellini, invented at Harry's Bar in 1948.
Peach is one flavour Boozy did not need to be told about. The Manchester independent already cans a peach serve, Peach on the Beach, a fruity 200ml pour with its own step by step recipe for anyone who wants to build the long version at home.
David Baddeley, founder of Boozy, said: "The spritz is doing what gin did a decade ago. It started as one drink, then it became a category. Elderflower won the first round because it is soft, floral and easy to love, but rosé and peach versions are already coming through, and the alcohol-free spritz is a genuine trend rather than a fad. We put peach in a can long before this data landed, so we would happily back it for the next round. The interesting question for next summer is not whether the spritz stays on top, it is which spritz."
Aperol, for the record, is far from finished. Campari Group sold 10 million nine-litre cases of it worldwide in 2025, up 1%, grew its UK sales by 7% last year, and this spring put the Aperol Spritz into a can for the first time. The crown may have changed heads in the search data, but the old champion still owns the terrace.
Anyone wanting to run the taste test at home can find both sides of the rivalry on the Boozy recipes blog, with step by step cards for the Hugo Spritz and the Aperol Spritz that scale every measurement from one glass to a jug, while the free Cocktail ABV Calculator shows the strength of more than 100 cocktails, spritzes included. The Hugo also comes ready mixed in Boozy's canned range for anyone skipping the shopping list.
For advice on responsible drinking, visit drinkaware.co.uk.
