Roland Gruber, Naturns, South Tyrol, 2005.
| 3 oz · 90 ml | PROSECCO | 11 % |
| 1 oz · 30 ml | ELDERFLOWER LIQUEUR | 20 % |
| 1 oz · 30 ml | SODA WATER | |
| 6 leaves | MINT | |
| ½ oz · 15 ml | LIME |
1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.
1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.
| Pre-batch | 1.5 oz mixed with ice, 0.2 oz of it pure alcohol |
|---|---|
| Melt | Stirred: +15 % of the pre-batch, +0.22 oz of water |
| Topped | Poured after the melt, kept whole: prosecco 3 oz, soda water 1 oz, +0.33 oz of alcohol |
| Served | 1.5 + 0.22 + 4 = 5.72 oz in the glass, 0.53 oz of it alcohol |
| Strength | 0.53 ÷ 5.72 = 9.3 % ABV as served |
| Ethanol | 0.53 oz × 29.57 ml × 0.789 g/ml = 12 g · about 87 kcal from the alcohol alone |
FROM PROSECCO · the dominant grape acid
The dominant acid in grapes and the reason wine tastes sharp instead of flat. Forms crystals ("wine diamonds") when bottled wine gets cold; harmless, sometimes filtered out, sometimes left in as a mark of authenticity. Without acid, wine is sugar water.
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FROM ELDERFLOWER + MINT · the coriander note
The coriander-lavender terpene. Saison and Belgian wit beers use coriander seeds as part of the spice bill, and linalool is the molecule doing the heavy lifting. Muscat grapes carry it too, the floral Moscato d'Asti note. Industrially common in shampoo and air freshener for the same reason it shows up in beer: the brain reads it as fresh.
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FROM LIME · the lemon aroma
Lemon's defining note: technically a mix of two geometric isomers (geranial and neral) that read as the same aroma to the nose. Lemon peel, lemongrass, lemon verbena, and Indian chai all carry it. In cocktails it's what a lemon twist contributes that lemon juice can't: the volatile expressed from the oil glands, not the acid from the pulp.
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Prosecco, elderflower, soda, mint and lime. Elderflower's cis-rose oxide and linalool are the nose, and Prosecco's CO₂ carries it. It is Alpine culture's answer to the Aperol Spritz. ABV is about 9%.
Roland Gruber created the Hugo in 2005 at the San Zeno bar in Naturns, South Tyrol (the German-speaking Italian Alps). Originally sweetened with lemon balm syrup; elderflower, easier to find, soon replaced it. The drink became the standard Alpine apéritif within five years and crossed into Germany, Austria, and Switzerland by 2010. Now contests Aperol Spritz for European spritz dominance. Hugo is the choice when the drinker wants something lighter and floral rather than bitter and orange.
