This drink recipe is rumored to have been created in 2005 by an Italian bartender named Roland Gruber as an alternative to the Aperol Spritz. It was originally called an Otto Spritz and featured lemon syrup instead of elderflower. The lemon was soon dropped in favor of syrup made from the flowers of the elderberry bush, which is commonly found in the region. At that time, the name of the drink was also changed to Hugo (pronounced U-go) Spritz. Generally speaking, the concept of spritzes dates back to the 1800s in northeastern Italy near the Dolomites. This area of Italy was controlled by the Austro-Hungarians at that time, and they found Italian wines to be too strong. So, they added water (a "spritz" in German) to their drinks to lighten them up.