It might still be summer, but Waitrose has just given us our first glimpse at their Christmas food range for 2026 – and it's safe to say we are excited. Especially when we spotted a product that has take inspiration from our favourite summer spritz drink!
Coming in September is the brand-new orange spritz panettone, a festive twist on the classic Italian sweet bread that's inspired by one of our favourite summer cocktails. And if, like us, you've spent the past few months sipping far too many Aperol spritzes in the sunshine, this might just be the Christmas crossover you never knew you needed.
Aperol is clearly the drink of the summer. Whether it's enjoyed at a barbecue, in a beer garden or on holiday overlooking the sea, it's become one of those flavours we instantly associate with warmer days. So why should it disappear once the festive season rolls around? Waitrose clearly agrees, and its new orange spritz panettone takes the traditional Italian bake and gives it a bright, citrusy makeover.
The light, fluffy panettone is studded with blood orange peel, infused with orange liqueur and, once baked, soaked in a sparkling wine syrup to recreate those refreshing spritzy flavours. Imagine a festive bread with all the bittersweet, zesty notes of an Aperol Spritz, softened into a beautifully light, buttery sweetened bread.
We think this could be the start of an Aperol-inspired festive takeover. After dominating our summer drinks menus for years, it's about time those vibrant citrus flavours made their way onto the Christmas table too.
The orange spritz panettone will cost £12.50 for 750g (that's around 6-8 servings) and will land in Waitrose stores and online from 21 September.
Mel is the Senior Food & Drink Writer for Good Housekeeping UK, covering all the delicious new product launches that come her way, writing about food and drink topics, and curating gift guides for the best foodie products to buy. Alongside that, she can be found developing and creating cocktails for GH and holds her WSET Level 2 in Wine and Spirits. She was part of the Good Housekeeping Institute food testing team for over four years before moving over to the digital side, so knows a thing or two about great food products. You'll find her scouring the supermarket shelves in her spare time for new and exciting ingredients to experiment with in her kitchen.
