Skip to Content
Recipes

Dante’s Spiced Cranberry Spritz is a Perfect Winter Drink

Elevate your celebrations or simply warm up for the night with a spiced cranberry spritz. Famed NYC bar and café Dante shares their recipe here.

Dante's cranberry spritz

The spiced cranberry spritz from Dante in NYC.

The official holiday season may be winding down, but winter has just begun. And Dante has just the thing to add a sparkle to any upcoming seasonal dinners or festivities: a delicious Spiced Cranberry Spritz.

The famed New York City bar and cafe, which originally opened its doors more than a century ago on Macdougal Street, is currently serving the spritz, crafted by Renato Tonelli, Dante’s beverage training director. It debuted earlier this year and Dante plans to keep the option on its menu for months to come. 

Tonelli designed the drink with his sister’s nuptials in mind.

"The true story is that my sister wanted me to come up with some cocktails for her wedding. It was in November during beautiful fall weather upstate (New York),” Tonelli says. 

He wanted to create an easy, low-ABV spritz that would encapsulate the season’s essence. “Dried cranberries became my first choice for how well they work with Aperol,” he says.

While you can still order the official cocktail at its New York City locations in SoHo and the West Village, Dante has shared the recipe with Appetito for those who would like to give it a whirl at home. 

The recipe requires planning ahead to infuse the Aperol with cranberries, but the result is so delicious. And while Dante uses cranberry juice made in-house, Ocean Spray or other store-bought juice can be implemented as a substitute. 

Dante's Spiced Cranberry Spritz

Dante's Spiced Cranberry Spritz

Recipe by Renato Tonelli
0.0 from 0 votes
Servings

1

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

0

minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 oz. 1 Aperol (dry cranberry infusion )

  • 0.5 oz. 0.5 Dante cranberry juice

  • 3 oz. 3 Chandon (sparkling wine)

Directions

  • To make the dry cranberry infusion for a batch of spritzes, put 33 oz Aperol and 3.5 oz of dried cranberries in an airtight container. Allow it to sit for 2 to 3 days at room temperature. Drain through a coffee filter or cloth.
  • Then, combine the ingredients to create the cocktail.
  • Garnish with a cranberry and a sprig of rosemary.

Notes

  • *Prep time doesn't include infusing the Aperol with cranberry, which requires at least two days.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @appetitomagazine on Instagram and hashtag it with #italianfoodanddrink

Like this recipe?

Follow @Appetitomagazine on Pinterest

Follow us on Facebook!

Follow us on Facebook

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Appetito

A Citrusy Siege and Medieval Mayhem in Ivrea’s Carnevale Celebrations

The northern Italian city of Ivrea celebrates Carnevale with weeks of festivities that include a fierce orange throwing battle.

April 24, 2025

“The Last Letter from Sicily” Serves Up Family, Fiction, and Flavor

Appetito interviews Lindsay Marie Morris about her Italian roots and their inspiration of her novel "The Last Letter from Sicily."

April 24, 2025

Serie A: Final Five Matches—Inter-Napoli Title Fight & Gameday Amatriciana

Soccer columnist Justin Patulli selects key Serie A matches for the coming weekend and suggests Italian snacks for pairing.

April 23, 2025
See all posts