There is no certain data on the birth of this aperitif, but it is believed that its origins can be traced back to the period of Austrian domination in Lombardy-Veneto in the late 18th and early 19th century when soldiers, traders, diplomats and workers of the Habsburg empire stationed in Venice took up the habit of diluting the high alcohol content of local wines with sparkling water.
In fact, the term 'spritz' seems to derive from the German verb 'spritzen' meaning 'to splash'.
