Britain Has a New Drink of the Summer: Hugo Spritz Overtakes Aperol, and One UK Cocktail Maker Has Watched Sales Double

The Aperol Spritz has finally met its match. For the first time on record, UK Google searches for the Hugo Spritz have overtaken searches for the Aperol Spritz, and independent British cocktail maker Boozy says the shift is showing up in its sales, with demand for its canned Hugo Spritz doubling year on year this summer.

Google Trends UK data shows that over the 13 weeks to 12 July the Hugo Spritz recorded higher average search interest than the Aperol Spritz, edging ahead by around 3.6%. The turnaround is remarkable. As recently as 2022, the Hugo attracted just over 2% of the search interest commanded by its bitter orange rival. Google search data also shows UK searches for both "Hugo Spritz" and "spritz recipe" doubled year on year in the three months to mid July, while a third of British 18 to 29 year olds now name the spritz as their number one cocktail for summer, according to the 2026 Bacardi Cocktail Trends Report.

The Hugo, created in 2005 by South Tyrol barman Roland Gruber, swaps Aperol's bitter orange for elderflower liqueur, fresh mint and lime, topped with prosecco and soda. Its softer, floral profile is widely credited for its rise with drinkers looking for lighter tasting summer serves.

Boozy, the Manchester based independent that cans bar quality cocktails in house, has had a front row seat. Sales of its ready to drink Hugo Spritz, a 200ml canned serve at 8.4% ABV, have doubled compared with last summer.

David Baddeley, founder of Boozy, said: "We put the Hugo into a can because it was the drink my friends kept asking for, long before the search data caught up. Aperol had a brilliant decade, but the Hugo is softer, more floral and better suited to how British drinkers actually like their cocktails to taste. Watching it finally overtake Aperol in the search data felt like vindication. Our Hugo has been our fastest growing flavour all summer, and sales have doubled compared with last year."

For drinkers who prefer to mix their own, Boozy has published a Hugo Spritz recipe at boozy.co.uk featuring an interactive recipe card that scales every measurement instantly, from a single glass to a jug for six or a party batch of 24. The brand's free Cocktail ABV Calculator also lets home bartenders check the strength of their serve and scale more than 100 cocktail recipes to any number of guests.

Baddeley added: "The Hugo is a three minute drink to make at home, and our recipe card does the maths for a jug so nobody is guessing measures in the kitchen. And if the shopping list defeats you, we have already done the hard part and put it in a can."

The news lands as Britain marks National Spritz Day on Saturday 1 August.