The best ideas often come from the most unexpected moments. The term “Spaggle” came from exactly one of those moments in time. A casual few words said from one bartender to another: Spaggle it! And when said aloud, we suddenly realised that we have fallen on what could be one of the greatest drink trends for 2019. Spaggle: To add a splash of sparkling wine to a cocktail.
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Let us set the scene for this life changing moment in time that may forever (or temporarily) alter the way you consume your cocktail. This past summer we were in the Niagara region at Dillon’s Distillers hanging out and participating in their annual Dillon’s Cup competition. The day was hot. So very hot. We spent hours in that parking lot, hopping from tent to tent, taking advantage of any shaded areas we could find. The competitors Elise and Jason were making their cocktails and Dillon’s used this opportunity to launch their bottled Negroni. Near the end of the afternoon, just as the sun was starting to become tolerable, one of the judges, our good pal Jacob Wharton-Shukster grabbed one of said Negronis, leaned over to Jason, looked him straight in the eye said “Jason, can you spaggle this for me?” At this point all the bartenders that heard these words, myself included, had our collective minds blown. And the rest of the evening, every drink we drank was spaggled. We have since been bringing Spaggle It, whenever and wherever we can. And now, we share it with you, dear readers.
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For those unaware a Negroni Sbagliato is a classic and delicious cocktail that is made with Campari, Sweet Vermouth and Prosecco. It is a perfect drink and deserves respect.
Spaggling (verb) is not that. To spaggle a drink is to take all the seriousness out of drinking. It’s a fun way to elevate your cocktail (and an upsell for all of you bar managers/owners!). Any drink can be spaggled, but not all should. As the movement of spaggling is in it’s infancy, we are still finding out what drinks taste best when spaggled. Bamboo? Great! Suburban Cocktail, well maybe not so much…
A Spaggle (noun) is also a new classification of drink. It’s different from a spritz in that there is no soda and that you merely have to add some sparkling wine haphazardly to an otherwise fully made and perfect cocktail. “Could I please have a Bijou, spaggled?” is a phrase you should learn to love, because you’re gonna be hearing it a lot… from me.
