Lyre's Italian Spritz Review
An Italian spritz, no prosecco required.
Lyre's bottled the bitter orange part.
Grab the big glasses. We're building one.
First Impressions
This bottle knows how to make an entrance. Lyre's dresses the whole range in those vintage illustrated labels, and the Italian Spritz gets the same treatment, one of those storybook characters etched right there on the front. The glass has real weight to it, the proper heft of a 700 mL spirit bottle.
Then you pour, and the color does half the selling. It comes out a vivid sunset orange-red, the exact shade your brain files under aperitivo hour. Set that glass down on a sunny patio table and try not to smile!
How it actually tastes
Neat, the nose is a burst of bitter orange with something deeper behind it, a soft mix of spice that reads a little like cola bark and dried citrus peel. It smells like the terrace of a café you cannot afford in Milan. I mean that as a compliment.
The sip follows the same script. Orange up front, then a genuine bitter backbone that grips the sides of your tongue and holds on. The sweetness is there to carry the fruit, not to smother it, and at less than 0.5% alcohol the body still feels like a real aperitif, not a cordial. The finish is dry, bitter, and long enough to make you reach for the next sip. That backbone is the whole story here!
The spritz that sells the bottle
The build could not be simpler. Two ounces of Lyre's Italian Spritz in the biggest wine glass you own, packed with ice. Top with about four ounces of soda water, or alcohol-free sparkling wine if you are feeling fancy. Drop in a thick orange slice and give it one lazy stir.
The bitterness stays sharp as the ice melts, which is exactly what you want from a spritz that sits in the sun while the conversation runs long. Golden hour, a bowl of chips and olives, a table of friends. That is where this bottle lives!
Things we like
The bitter backbone is real. It grips and holds like a true aperitivo.
That sunset color sells the drink before the first sip.
Holds its edge over ice. The last third of the glass still tastes like the first.
One 700 mL bottle builds a dozen spritzes. About four dollars a round.
The ritual survives. Big glass, orange slice, no rush. Everyone at the table is in.
Frequently asked questions
Is it close to Aperol?
It plays in the same key. Bitter orange, a touch of spice, that vivid color in the glass. Lyre's leans a little deeper on the bitter side, which spritz drinkers tend to appreciate once the ice goes in.
What do I mix it with?
Soda water is the everyday answer, roughly one part Lyre's to two parts soda over ice. For a fuller spritz, top it with an alcohol-free sparkling wine instead. It also stands in for the bitter half of a non-alcoholic negroni.
I like the bitter stuff. What next?
Good instinct. Read our Martini Vibrante review next. It is another aperitivo-style pour, brighter and a little more herbal, and it makes a great second bottle for the home bar.