The liqueur has gone from being an occasional digestif, served in shot form, to a ubiquitous spritz popular in bars and restaurants from Adelaide to Athens. What’s behind the overnight rise of a decades-old drink?

When I was in northern Italy this month, I spotted the same sunshine-yellow drink wherever I went. Limoncello spritz – sweet-sharp lemon-flavoured liqueur, mixed with prosecco and soda water and served over ice – was on every menu. The leaves were starting to turn and there was a chill in the air, but after a couple of these summery spritzes, I could imagine myself on the Amalfi coast in August.

Until this year, I had seen limoncello served only as a complimentary shot after dinner, usually at an Italian restaurant in the UK. I always necked it – who turns down free booze? – but it never seemed exactly aspirational.