Tantalize your taste buds with the Como Spritz, a delightful Prosecco cocktail. This concoction skillfully unites the sweet and sour of passion fruit syrup and the zestiness of fresh lemon juice with the distinctive flavors of Cynar amaro, offering a tantalizing balance of tropical fruitiness with earthy amaro scent. Housed in a tumbler glass, on a cushion of ice, and crowned with an orange slice, this beverage is your ideal go-to treat.

This cocktail recipe is the brainchild of seasoned bartenders Sam Ross and Michael McIlroy. These skilled mixologists, famously known for their award-winning bar, Attaboy, co-created the Como Spritz for their spritz-specialist NYC bar, Good Guy's. Nestled right next door to Attaboy, Good Guy's regales its clientele with delightful cocktails which complement Spanish-inspired tapas.

Lovingly crafted with low-alcohol content, the Como Spritz impresses with its bold flavors. The heart of this mix is the sweet-sour passion fruit syrup, perfectly contrasting the sharp, fresh lemon juice and the slight bitterness of the vegetable-infused Cynar amaro. The finale and pièce de résistance of this mix are the Prosecco with its fruity touch and signature effervescence.

But it's not just the ingredients that take this amaro spritz to greater heights; the method of preparation plays an essential role. Unlike other Italian amari, Cynar - a Venetian amaro made from artichokes - has a much more herbaceous and vegetal flavor profile. The refreshing zestiness of the fresh lemon, delightfully contrasting the lush and floral exuberance of the passion fruit, combined with the vegetal notes of Cynar, create a drink of refined taste.

Making homemade passion fruit syrup is no Herculean task; blend equal parts passion fruit puree and simple syrup until well combined. Of course, high-quality store-bought passion fruit syrup like Liber & Co.’s is also an option.

A surprising technique to making the Como Spritz is adding one-third of the Prosecco to the glass along with the other ingredients before introducing the ice. This results in a seamless fusion of Prosecco with the rest of the cocktail, adding not just flavor but also enhancing the texture of the beverage. The rest of the Prosecco is poured in last, after the ice, to amplify the effervescence.

Credit for the Como Spritz goes to Sam Ross and Michael McIlroy, with the corresponding write-up penned by Lucy Simon. The recipe includes: 1 ounce Cynar, 3/4 ounce passion fruit syrup, 1/4 ounce lemon juice, 3 ounces Prosecco, and an orange slice for garnish. To make: Pour Cynar, passion fruit syrup, and lemon juice into a tumbler glass, then add 1 ounce Prosecco. Fill the glass with ice, and top with the remaining 2 ounces of Prosecco. Gently stir, then garnish with an orange slice. Enjoy responsibly!