When F&F Pizzeria opened in Mt. Lebanon six months ago, its famed slices and Italian fare made a splash with their fresh ingredients and artisanal style. The Brooklyn-based pizzeria boasts a 72-hour fermented sourdough crust, and even has its own brand of olive oil produced and cold-pressed in Sicily.
The restaurant brings these same flourishes to a new spritz menu, launched at the beginning of this month. Diners can try five spritz cocktails ($17 each), including the Olio Spritz. The cocktail, served in a wine glass, features vermouth “washed” in the pizzeria’s own Frankie’s 457 extra virgin olive oil, meaning the wine is frozen in the oil overnight so it settles to the top. The Olio is “spritzed” with soda water and Prosecco, the cocktail’s standard base, and garnished with a Nocellara olive and a lemon twist.
“You have the tint of the olive oil and you also get that flavor and texture,” said F&F operating partner Anthony Simasek. “(But) it’s half the alcohol by volume of a martini, way less heavy.”
The spritz cocktail was a natural fit for F&F, originating in 19th-century Italy. While its predecessors were wine-based and served as an aperitif before the meal, the modern bubbly version — made with Prosecco, digestive bitters and soda water — has recently skyrocketed in popularity. The trend is driven in part by customers’ desire for lower-alcohol drinks, and the spritz is “very light, very refreshing, not high octane, and certainly something you could have a few of and still be okay,” Simasek said.
Other variations at F&F include a traditional Sbagliato (Campari, sweet vermouth) and the Amari Spritz (grapefruit and Cynar, an Italian herbal liqueur).
For those who like a sweeter drink, the stone fruit spritz features apricot puree, lemon juice and amaretto (almond-flavored Italian liqueur). The hibiscus spritz, which resembles pink lemonade, is built with a house-made hibiscus syrup, lime juice and a blanco tequila.
While all the cocktails use premium ingredients, their true inspiration was patio season. The spritz menu was first developed by beverage director Aaron Trentadue at F&F Restaurant and Bar — the newest of three concepts that make up the restaurant’s Italian “campus” in Brooklyn.
“We have a beautiful sidewalk cafe and thought, wouldn’t it be great if people were just hanging out drinking spritzes all afternoon?” Simasek said. “So we crafted a spritz menu around that, and then we have the same beautiful sidewalk here on Beverly Road (in Mt. Lebanon).”
The restaurant also has a back patio, which it plans to open in May.
The pizzeria’s emphasis on a storied Italian drink was also not necessarily intentional.
“The Franks, they’ve been spending so much time in Italy for so many years of their lives,” Simasek said, referring to the F&F founders Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli. “They think of it as what they know.”
Since opening in Mt. Lebanon in October, Simasek, “the Franks,” and operating partner Rob Mullin have been “unbelievably blown away by the reception we’ve had,” Simasek said.
The restaurant recently opened for lunch and serves dinner six days a week.
“What we’re trying to do now is just get the word out that we’re more than just pizza,” Simasek said. “The pizza is amazing, or at least we think so. But we’re excited for patio season and for the spritzes, and we’ve got some new spring menu items that will start coming out. You can come a couple times a week and not be bored, because there are so many different options.”