Sales of Bacardi’s St-Germain liqueur are growing faster than Campari’s Aperol this summer as the “Hugo” elderflower spritz trend takes hold in the US, challenging the Italian group’s dominance of the aperitif market. Demand for the elderflower liqueur in the US rose 40% in the past three months as spritz drinkers switched away from the lurid orange Aperol, which fell 4% in the same period, according to Nielsen IQ. Campari’s Aperol accounts for more than a quarter of its group sales.

Campari has outperformed spirits rivals such as Diageo over the past three years thanks to its supremacy in the aperitif category. Bacardi first saw potential for St-Germain to become the base for a spritz five years ago, and Ned Duggan, chief marketing officer, said the Hugo spritz, originating from the Italian Alps, took off in the US because of increased European travel post‑Covid. Despite rapid growth, St-Germain sales are still dwarfed by Aperol—Campari sold 8.8mn cases of Aperol globally in 2025 compared with Bacardi’s 435,000 cases of St-Germain.

Campari’s chief executive Simon Hunt said the Hugo spritz is unbranded, so Bacardi must work harder to link its brand. Campari has invested in marketing Aperol to US drinkers, deploying 21 brand ambassadors across 11 states.