Spritz Sales Surge as Drinkers Embrace Earlier Happy Hours
Data from Square shows spritz cocktails drove summer 2026 bar sales, with Hugo Spritz orders up 153%. The trend is part of a decade-long growth story and a shift toward earlier evening drinking.
Spritz cocktails powered bar sales in the summer of 2026, according to new data from payments platform Square. Consumers are increasingly choosing these bright, low-alcohol drinks over spirit-forward cocktails and shifting their drinking to earlier evening happy hours.
Spritz Varieties See Explosive Growth
While the Aperol Spritz remains popular, other varieties saw dramatic increases. Hugo Spritz orders grew by 153.2% year-over-year across Square's seller network. This elderflower and Prosecco-based drink offers a subtler profile than its bright orange counterpart.
The Limoncello Spritz rose 75%, and the Campari Spritz increased by 68.5%. A new entry, the Sarti Spritz, also appeared in Square's data this summer. It is based on Sarti Rosa, a blood orange, passion fruit, and mango apertivo.
| Spritz Type | Year-Over-Year Growth |
|---|---|
| Hugo Spritz | 153.2% |
| Limoncello Spritz | 75% |
| Campari Spritz | 68.5% |
| Aperol Spritz | 14.7% |
In contrast, orders for classic higher-alcohol cocktails declined. Old Fashioned orders dropped 1.1%, Mojitos fell 7.6%, and Manhattans were down 1.3%.
A Decade-Long Trend, Not a Summer Fad
The summer surge is part of a much longer trend. Square data indicates U.S. Spritz orders grew roughly 22-fold between the summers of 2016 and 2025. Prices have more than doubled in that period, from an average of $4.89 to $10.15 per drink. In 2026, the average price increased another 34 cents to $10.49.
Most of the recent growth is coming from new venues adding spritzes to their menus for the first time. This suggests the category is still expanding its market presence.
The Rise of the Early Evening Happy Hour
Drinking habits are shifting earlier in the day. Value-conscious consumers are making greater use of happy hour promotions. Nationally, the 5-8 p.m. Period has captured a larger share of bar sales every year since 2019, while late-night sales from 11 p.m. To 4 a.m. Have declined.
This trend is especially pronounced in New York City. There, happy hour transactions grew to 18.8% of bar sales in 2025 and reached 19.4% in the first five months of 2026. Concurrently, late-night sales in the city have fallen from 48% of transactions in 2019 to 38.9% so far in 2026.
Square links this shift to a broader embrace of aperitivo culture. Customers are opting for pre-meal drinks and light bites in the early evening instead of later dinner reservations or late-night bar sessions.
James Schonzeit, head of food & beverage at Square, said the data provides actionable insights for sellers. "When a seller can see that happy hour is growing faster in their city than the national average, or that a certain drink is taking off, they can adjust their hours, their inventory, and their menu accordingly," he stated. The summer of 2026 solidified the spritz's dominance and marked a continued move toward earlier, lighter social drinking.
