Spring is the time of year when bartenders add cocktails to their menus that reflect the spirit of the new season. “When I think of springtime, my mind finds words such as floral and fragrant, light and airy, crisp and breezy,” said Megan Campbell, bartender at Cafe Rule in Hickory, North Carolina. “These not only represent the season itself and the feelings it brings, but can also describe the cocktails we can enjoy during this happy place we find ourselves between winter and summertime.” She suggests using gin, homemade flavored syrups, sparkling wine as a topper, and whiskey mixed with muddled fruit. “While the global situation right now doesn't allow much in the way of going out for drinks on your favorite restaurant patio, there are ways to still create beautiful, tasty craft cocktails right in your own home.”
We asked ten different bars for some refreshing spring cocktail recipes that you can make using ingredients from your home bar. If you don’t have one that is specified, get creative and swap it out for something else, or perhaps you can order it from one of the many delivery services that are still operating. And think about taking a photo and sharing it on social media to show your support.
The London Cooler from The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills, Los Angeles
2 oz Tanqueray 10 Gin
1 oz simple syrup
1 oz lime juice
basil leaves
cucumber
Muddle cucumber and basil. Add the rest of the ingredients into a shaker over ice and shake. Prepare Collins glass with cucumber peel along insides of glass and fresh ice. Strain and pour into glass. Garnish with basil leaf.
Berry Basil Sangria from Adam Peabody, Head of Mixology at LondonHouse Chicago’s LH Rooftop
1.5 oz vodka
.75 oz blueberry syrup
.75 oz lemon juice
1 oz rosé wine
Combine all ingredients in a wine glass over ice and top with seltzer water. Garnish with fresh basil leaf and lemon wheels.
Related: The Best Cocktails for Fall
High Society from William Talbott, Bar Manager at The Standard, High Line, NYC
2 dashes Angostura bitters
.25 oz Giffard Banane Liqueur
.75 oz Amaro Montenegro
2 oz Kikori
Add ingredients into mixing glass with ice and stir until cold. Serve in martini or coupe glass, garnish with a lemon twist.
Negroni Bianco from Dante, NYC
1 oz Brooklyn gin
.5 oz Martini & Rossi bianco vermouth
.5 oz Noilly Prat dry vermouth
1 oz Quinquina aperitif
2 dashes lemon bitters
1 dash verjus
Stir ingredients on ice and strain into Nick & Nora glass. Twist lemon peel over to express oils, and garnish with baby’s breath flowers.
Garden Rose from GITANO at Casa Faena, Miami
1 oz Rose Codigo Tequila
1 oz St~Germain
1 oz Pommery Brut Royal Rose
.5 oz fresh lemon juice
.5 oz rose essence
Stir over ice and strain into glass. Garnish with lemon zest and dehydrated rose buds.
Flower in Your Cup from Hutton Hotel’s Mane & Rye Dinerant, Nashville
.75 oz Cocchi Americano Rosso Aperitivo
1.5 oz Bombay Dry Gin
.75 oz Aperol Aperitivo Liqueur
Build over cubed ice, peel grapefruit peel and garnish within glass.
Mingling Medley by Marshall Minaya, Beverage Director for Valerie, NYC
.5 oz Bar Hill Gin
.5 oz cilantro infused Branca Menta
.5 oz Lustau Oloroso Sherry
.75 oz lemon juice
.75 oz simple syrup
5 – 6 mint leaves
Add all ingredients to a small tin, add ice and shake vigorously. Double strain. Garnish with mint bouquet.
Italian Riviera from Maxime Belfand, Bar Director, Saxon + Parole, NYC
3 parts Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Cucumber
1 part Aperol
Add Aperol to a highball glass, add ice and top with Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Cucumber. Garnish with thin cucumber slices and a crack of sea salt.
Brass Bell from Travel Bar, Brooklyn
2 oz Uncle Val's Botanical Gin
1 bar spoon Bigallet Thyme Liqueur
.5 oz elderflower syrup (order at Monin.com)
3 oz Fever Tree Tonic
Build in Belgian beer glass, stir over rocks and garnish with three clementine wedges within glass.
Gin Mint from Sandpiper at Oceana, Santa Monica
1.5 oz Hendricks Gin
.5 oz Grand Marnier
1 oz egg white
.5 oz lemon juice
.5 oz simple syrup
Muddled: 5 raspberries and 5 mint leaves
Combine ingredients over ice and shake. Strain into glass.
