Spring is in the air, which means it’s time to start making the most of the longer days and warmer weather. And what better way to welcome in the new season than by mixing up a refreshing cocktail? It’s been a long, cold and grey winter, so let’s bid adieu to hot toddies, mulled wine and espresso martinis until next year, and embrace spring with fresh and fizzy cocktails that embody the best of the new season.
While it’s always nice to head out to a favorite classic cocktail bar or lounge, there’s something special about testing out your own bartending skills right at home, whether you’re preparing a spring drink for a casual brunch or mixing up a batch of easy cocktail refreshments for a celebratory springtime fête. Bid adieu to those 4 p.m. sunsets and say hello to peak brunch season, soaking up these sunnier days. From bubbly beverages and champagne cocktails to zesty spritzers and mezcal libations, these are the best spring cocktail recipes to whip up this season.
The Best Spring Cocktail Recipes
Roku Negroni
Ingredients:
1.5 parts Roku Japanese Craft Gin
1 part blanc vermouth
1 part Italian red liqueur
Orange, for garnish
Directions:
Add all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice; stir. Strain into a rocks glass with a large block of ice. Garnish with an orange twist.
Roku Negroni.
Roku
Oasium Green Tea Jubilee
Ingredients:
1 1/2 parts Hendrick’s Oasium
2 parts chilled green tea
3/4 part lemon juice
3/4 part simple syrup
2 dashes cardamom bitters
1 1/2 parts sparkling water
Cucumber slice and lemon wheel, for garnish
Directions:
Build in a teapot over ice. Garnish with a cucumber slice and lemon wheel.
Oasium Green Tea Jubilee.
Hendrick’s
Lime Cooler
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz Bacardi Lime Flavored Rum
1/2 oz watermelon liqueur
1/2 oz lime juice
1/4 oz simple syrup
1 1/2 oz club soda
Lime wheel and watermelon wedge, for garnish
Directions:
Add all ingredients, except for club soda, to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously; strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice. Top with club soda and garnish with a lime wheel and watermelon wedge.
Lime Cooler.
Bacardi
Basil Gimlet
Ingredients:
2 oz The Botanist Islay Dry Gin
.75 oz fresh lime juice
.5 oz simple syrup
1 bar spoon apricot preserves
3 to 4 basil leaves, plus extra for garnish
Directions:
Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake; shake vigorously until chilled. Fine strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a whole basil leaf.
The Botanist.
Sparkling & Sweet Johnnie & Peach
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Johnnie Walker Black Label
4 oz peach iced tea
.25 oz lemon juice
.25 oz Crème de Peche
Peach fan and thyme sprig, for garnish
Directions:
Build ingredients in an ice-filled highball glass and stir. Garnish with peach fan and thyme sprig.
Sparkling & Sweet Johnnie & Peach.
Johnnie Walker
Cafe Guayaba
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Zacapa No. 23
.75 oz Mr Black Coffee Liqueur
.5 oz guava puree
2 dashes orange bitters
Coffee beans and guava slice, for garnish
Directions:
Combine all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice; shake vigorously. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with sliced guava and three coffee beans.
Cafe Guayaba.
Shannon Sturgis
Casa Noble La Avenida
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Casa Noble Reposado
1.5 oz Copper & Kings Apple Brandy
1.25 oz passion fruit juice
.5 oz grenadine
1 dash orange blossom water
1 bar spoon allspice
Directions:
Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a glass and top with crushed ice. Garnish with edible flower.
Casa Noble La Avenida.
Botanical 75
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Ketel One Botanical Grapefruit & Rose Vodka
.5 oz fresh lemon juice
.3 oz rose syrup
Sparkling rosé
Grapefruit peel, for garnish
Directions:
Combine vodka, lemon juice and rose syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and then fine strain into a flute glass. Top with sparkling rosé and garnish a grapefruit peel.
Botanical 75.
Ketel One
Sipsmith’s Lavender Dreams
Ingredients:
2 oz Sipsmith London Dry Gin
.75 oz lemon juice
.75 oz lavender syrup
Luxardo Maraschino cherry, for garnish
Directions:
Shake ingredients well over ice. Strain over a coupe or martini glass; garnish with a cherry skewer.
Sipsmith’s Lavender Dreams.
Pranthik Samal
Hibiscus Haze
Ingredients:
4 parts G.H. Mumm Grand Cordon Rosé
3/4 part chilled hibiscus syrup
1 part soda
Directions:
Strain chilled hibiscus syrup into a coupe or flute. Top with sparkling wine. Garnish with edible hibiscus flower.
Hibiscus Haze.
Prickly Pear Margarita
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Casamigos Blanco Tequila
.75 oz fresh lemon juice
.75 oz prickly pear purée
2 dashes orange bitters
Lime wheel, for garnish
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a tin shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice; garnish with lime wheel.
Prickly Pear Margarita.
Geoffrey Ragatz
Disaronno Mule
Ingredients:
1.6 oz Disaronno
.8 oz fresh lime juice
Ginger beer
Grated ginger and lime slices, for garnish
Directions:
Add Disaronno and lime juice in a mule cup filled with ice. Top with ginger beer, garnish with grated ginger and lime slices.
Disaronno Mule.
Disaronno
Cantarito
Ingredients:
2 oz Dulce Vida Organic Blanco Tequila
1/2 oz orange juice
3/4 oz grapefruit juice
1/2 oz lime juice
Pinch of Tajin
Grapefruit soda, to top
Lime wheel and orange wheel, to garnish
Directions:
Add all ingredients into a Collins glass with ice. Stir; top with a splash of grapefruit soda. Garnish with lime and orange wheel.
Cantarito.
Carnelian Cooks
Patron Silver Ranch Water
Ingredients:
1 oz Patron Silver
1 oz Citrónge Orange Liqueur
.75 oz fresh lime juice
.25 oz simple syrup
Lime wedge, for garnish
Kosher salt, for glass rim.
Directions:
Combine liquid ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice; shake vigorously. Strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice and garnish with a lime wedge.
Ranch Water.
Patron
Berry-Mint Kenny
Ingredients:
1.5 oz 818 Blanco
1 oz strawberry puree
.5 oz fresh lime juice
.5 oz agave syrup
Perrier
Mint leaves and strawberry slice, for garnish
Directions:
Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake. Strain into a glass filled with fresh ice. Top with a splash of sparkling water; garnish with mint leaves and a strawberry slice.
Berry-Mint Kenny.
818 Tequila
Bee’s Knees
Ingredients:
2 oz Barr Hill Gin
.75 oz fresh lemon juice
.75 oz raw honey syrup (mix two parts raw honey and one part warm water until honey dissolves)
Directions:
Combine gin cocktail ingredients in a mixer, add ice and shake. Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist.
Bee’s Knees.
Barr Hill Gin
Tanteo Tequila Lavender Jalapeno Cocktail
Ingredients:
2 oz Tanteo Jalapeño Tequila
1 oz lavender syrup
.75 oz fresh lime juice
Directions:
Combine all ingredients into a shaker with ice; shake well and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a slice of lime or a slice of jalapeño.
Tanteo Tequila Lavender Jalapeno Cocktail
Tanteo Tequila
Berry Mojito Cocktail
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège
.5 oz fresh lime juice
5 berries
.5 oz simple syrup
A splash club soda
Mint sprig, for garnish
Directions:
Muddle fruit, mint and syrup in a mixing tin. Add cognac, club soda and lime juice to tin; shake. Double strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice and garnish with mint sprig and fresh berries.
Berry Mojito Cocktail.
Hennessy
Pina Margarita
Ingredients:
2 oz blanco tequila
1 oz Cointreau
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz fresh pineapple juice
Directions:
Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice; shake until chilled. Strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass and garnish with a pineapple slice.
Pina Margarita.
Cointreau
Spring Sipper
Ingredients:
2 oz Jeptha Creed Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon
3 dashes Ne Oublie Strawberry Ginger Bitters
1/2 oz Campari
1 oz grapefruit juice
1 oz lime juice
1 1/2 oz simple syrup
Coarse sugar
Lime wheel, for garnish
Directions:
Rim a highball glass with the sugar and set aside. Add all ingredients to a shaker tin filled with ice; shake. Double strain into the highball glass filled with fresh ice; garnish with a lime wheel.
Spring Sipper.
Jeptha Creed
Sunset Rose
Ingredients:
3 oz Whispering Angel
1.5 oz Belvedere Vodka
.5 oz lime juice
.25 oz honey water
3 blackberries
Mint sprig, for garnish
Directions:
Add blackberries into shaker and muddle. Add all remaining ingredients, except for rose, into the shaker. Shake with ice and strain into rocks glass over fresh ice. Top with rose and garnish with mint.
Sunset Rose.
Sunset Rose
Brancott Bloom
Ingredients:
4 oz Brancott Estate Flight Song Sauvignon Blanc
3 oz elderflower soda (or elderflower tonic)
.5 oz squeezed lemon juice
Directions:
Fill highball glass with ice cubes. Add all ingredients into glass; stir.
Brancott Blossom.
Brancott
Aperol Spritz ‘3-2-1’
Ingredients:
2 parts Aperol
3 parts Cinzano Prosecco
1 part club soda
Orange slice, for garnish
Directions:
Pour Prosecco into a stemmed balloon glass filled with ice. Add Aperol, then a splash of soda. Stir gently and garnish with an orange slice.
Aperol Spritz ‘3-2-1.’
aperol spritz
Mana Daisy
Ingredients:
2 oz Teremana Blanco
.75 oz lemon juice
.75 oz passion fruit syrup
Splash of soda water
Directions:
Add lemon juice, passion fruit syrup and tequila into shaker. Shake, then add a splash of soda directly into the tin before straining. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with edible flower.
Mana Daisy.
Teremana
Postage Stamp
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz Glenmorangie Original
1/3 oz elderflower cordial
1/3 oz Orgeat syrup
1 oz lemon juice
1 dash orange bitters
Orange, for garnish
Directions:
Add all ingredients into shaker with ice; shake. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a twist of orange zest.
Postage Stamp.
Cristalita
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Tequila Cazadores Reposado
1/2 oz Patron Citronge
1/2 oz agave nectar
2 slices of lime
2 slices of lemon
2 slices of orange
2 cilantro sprigs
1 slice serrano chile
Directions:
Muddle citrus slices, serrano and cilantro in a cocktail shaker. Add the rest of the ingredients, along with ice, and shake vigorously. Double strain into a fresh glass and serve with ice. Garnish with lime, orange peel and serrano chile.
Cristalita.
Cazadores
Lillet Rosé Spritz
Ingredients:
3 parts of Lillet Rosé
3 parts of tonic water
Grapefruit or orange, for garnish
Directions:
Shake rose and tonic water with ice; strain into a white wine glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with either a slice of grapefruit or orange slice.
Lillet Rosé Spritz.
Lillet
April Showers Sour
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey
.5 oz sweet vermouth
.75 oz simple syrup
.75 oz lemon juice
2 bar spoons cranberry preserves
Egg white
Italian bitters
Lemon oil
Cherries
Directions:
Combine whiskey, vermouth, simple syrup, lemon juice, cranberry preserves and egg white in a shaker. Shake and strain into glass over fresh ice. Garnish with cranberries on a stick and lemon oil. Add a dash of Italian bitters and stir. Pour into coupe glass and garnish with brandied cherry.
Stranahan’s April Showers Sour.
Kyle Ford
Mezcal Unión Passionfruit Paloma
Ingredients:
1 oz Mezcal Unión Uno
1 oz Red Verjus or Aperol
1 oz passion fruit syrup
Fever Tree sparkling grapefruit soda
Directions:
Add all ingredients into a highball or large rocks glass. Add ice; top with cold sparkling grapefruit soda.
Mezcal Unión Passionfruit Paloma.
Mezcal Unión
