Summertime, at its best, means lazy afternoons or early evenings spent sitting out underneath the sun enjoying a slightly slower pace and indulging in life's little pleasures. One of those pleasures has to be sipping on a good spritz—they're light and punchy yet bracing, effervescent and just alcoholic enough to keep the festivities going into the night. It's the kind of drink that encourages you to slow down and linger.

A classic cocktail that's legitimately old school, Europeans have been sipping on spritzes for over a century. The drink's origins trace back to ancient Rome, but over the last decade or so the iconic cocktail has become something of a phenomenon. Of course, the iconic spritz is made with Aperol, the Italian bitter apéritif. And while that certainly is a satisfying way to go, this a nimble drink that can be tinkered with in any number of ways and always comes out satisfying.

Which might explain why we see so many at the moment. Taliaa Baiocci and Leslie Pariseau, authors of Spritz, a handbook of sorts, filled with history and recipes, say that there's no harm in experimenting, but there are three essential truths when it comes to a spritz: You need the fizz. “Whether its bubble is acquired through soda water, sparkling wine or a flavored soda, the spritz would not be a spritz without buoyancy.” You want to keep the alcohol relatively low. Meaning it should contain no more than an ounce or two of strong spirits. “This is a drink that's consumed when the day is waning and the night is young.” And since this is a pre-dinner drink, it should have some bitterness as a means to open the stomach for a meal. “It's meant to be consumed in that liminal hour between work and play.”

With that in mind, we've pulled together some unconventional riffs on the spritz. They require limited ingredients and come together in a snap—just pour over ice, no need to even stir. Which is good because they tend to go down fast. So start mixing some up immediately.