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This sparkling orange & thyme spritzer recipe is perfect any time of year, but it’s especially wonderful in the summer. It’s light, refreshing, and so pretty!
For the past few years, I have shared a new and refreshing drink recipe during the summer. Fun and pretty drinks, even non-alcoholic ones, add the perfect touch to any gathering. It’s also very nice to simply make them for yourself! The orange & thyme spritzer recipe I’m featuring today is so simple to make, and it’s delicious.
Here is another one that I love.
How To Make
- Juice one orange. Cut the second orange into 1/4 inch slices.
- Combine fresh orange juice, sparkling water, and Trop50 in a pitcher with a lid.
- Add 8 sprigs of thyme. Shake well.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Shake again before serving over ice. Garnish with fresh sprigs of thyme and orange slices.
Spritzer Recipe Tips
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- Just in case you are wondering, I went into detail on what exactly constitutes a spritzer in this post.
- If you don’t have thyme, or don’t care for the taste, you can substitute fresh mint or lemon balm. The fresh herbs really do brighten the taste, and add a bit of zing.
- This spritzer recipe can easily be adapted and served as an alcoholic drink. Simply add vodka or gin, in whatever ratio you prefer, before the refrigeration step.
- Like all drink recipes, this one can be adjusted to serve any number of people. Just use equal parts of sparkling water and juice.
- Any kind of orange juice can be used. To keep the calorie count down, I used Trop50. To add more texture and interest, orange juice with pulp would be wonderful.
- Don’t skip the garnishes. They make such a difference in the presentation, and take no time at all. Adding garnishes to a non-alcoholic drink definitely takes it up a notch!
- Serve this drink in clear glasses. It would be a shame not to show off how pretty it is!
About the Sparkling Water
Regular orange sparkling water is very easy to find. Also available at most grocery stores are blood orange sparkling water, and mandarin orange sparkling water. Either would work perfectly for this recipe. I’ve also seen orange & cream. It’s also fine to use club soda, tonic water, or plain sparkling water. Just make sure you get something with some fizz, or you won’t be able to call your drink a spritzer!
Proper Spritzer Mixing Technique
When a drink contains fruit juice, and it doesn’t matter if there’s alcohol or not, it’s best to shake it to combine. If you are using a pitcher with no lid, and are unable to shake it, make sure to stir it quickly and thoroughly. The amalgamation process works both ways, either shaken or stirred, but shaking a fruit drink results in more air, and better melding of the ingredients. I used this pitcher and it worked great. For just two people, halve the recipe, and use a cocktail shaker.
Can other juice flavors be used?
Absolutely! This spritzer recipe can be adapted to feature your favorite flavor of juice by making a few simple changes. Here are some ideas:
- Cherry juice, cherry sparkling water, fresh mint, floating cherries for garnish.
- Apple juice, fuji apple or plain sparkling water, fresh rosemary, sliced apples for garnish.
- Pineapple juice, pineapple coconut sparkling water, fresh thyme, pineapple slices & blackberries for garnish.
More Easy Drink Recipes
What Readers Are Saying
“I enjoyed this tasty drink. I used herbs from my garden and added some triple sec. Thanks for the inspiration.”
~Beth
Sparkling Orange & Thyme Spritzer Recipe
Ingredients
- 20 ounces orange sparkling water
- 20 ounces Trop50 orange juice
- 2 naval oranges
- 16 thyme sprigs
Instructions
- Juice one orange. Cut the second orange into 1/4 inch slices.
- Combine fresh orange juice, sparkling water, and Trop50 in a pitcher with a lid.
- Add 8 sprigs of thyme. Shake well.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Shake again before serving over ice. Garnish with fresh sprigs of thyme and orange slices.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you make this recipe, and love it, please come back to leave a comment and a 5-star review. I would really appreciate it, and it would help me so much. Thank you
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This looks wonderful. I made your Apple Ginger Mocktail for a family gathering and everyone loved it. Will definitely make this one too. Thanks! These are so refreshing.
Ooooo, that looks like a delicious drink. This is going into my recipe binder and on our table as soon as I get some OJ. I’ve got thyme growing right on the deck in the flower box. Thank you Ann!
Fizz=spritzer Got it!! I often wondered why they were called spritzers.
I’d prefer vodka or gin over rum drinks as the rum always gives me a headache.
I bet Kombucha would be a good alternative to the orange juice? The new Pineapple one is so tasty!
So appreciate non alcoholic drinks! It is hard to remove the alcohol from a recipe and know what to do to balance the drink…(much easier to add the amount of alcohol if you desire to do so. )
This makes it a good recipe for family gatherings with children!
My grandkids love everything except the sprig of thyme. They think it’s grass!
Thank you for this, Ann! I live in a senior independent living building where we have a monthly happy hour. I’d like to make a batch or two of this to take to our gathering, I’d probably use mint, rather than tarragon, since it might be more generally liked. I’m thinking I’d add gin. You said to use however much gin or vodka we want, but I don’t have a clue how much gin per recipe would be best. Could you help? Thank you again!
Hi Susan! Generally, at least according to Google, a standard alcoholic drink is 1.5 oz. of liquor to 12 oz. liquid. So very roughly, you will need 4.5 oz. of liquor to the 40 oz. of liquid included in this recipe. Mix the ingredients, and then taste it. If it can use a bit more alcohol, add it in! Hope you enjoy it…Ann
I enjoyed this tasty drink. I used herbs from my garden and added some triple sec. Thanks for the inspiration.
Looks refreshing! I bet it’s amazing with vodka! ;)
Where can I get the striped blue/white pitcher in the background of your photo, please and thanks? Been looking for exactly that for a couple years now.
Hi! That pitcher was available a couple of years ago during the Nordstrom sale. It was part of a collection from Anthropologie made especially for Nordstrom. It’s no longer available. I wish I had better news!