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10 cocktails to celebrate spring
The flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and it snowed last week. Still, the weather will eventually improve, and as soon as it does you’ll be wanting to mix up something appropriate. Here are 10 seasonally appropriate cocktails to put a spring in your step.
One of the signs that Spring has sprung is the emergence of vibrant pink stalks of rhubarb. This recipe from BBC Good Food offers a playfully boozy take on the classic boiled sweet. Advocaat liqueur subs in for custard, and the rhubarb syrup is surprisingly easy to make and gives this layered cocktail its distinctive hue.
British Asparagus Season is on the way, and that entails shoehorning it into every possible application. It might sound bizarre, but the vegetal notes complement. the citrus and gin botanicals. In contrast to the simplicity of making the rhubarb syrup, this rather more unusual cocktail involves some rather more unusual equipment. Using a siphon to infuse the asparagus into the gin and vodka brings out the flavours without cooking it.
Pioneer’s Punch
Punching above its weight is this whisky-forward cocktail for when you’re feeling peachy.
1.5oz Dewar’s 15
0.5oz Peach Liqueur
0.5oz Lemon Juice
0.5oz Sugar Syrup
1.5oz Coconut Water
1.5oz Fever-Tree Soda Water
Add all of the ingredients except for the soda water to a shaker. Shake briskly with ice and pour over cubed ice in a highball glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint and a peach slice.
How do you give the most classic of cocktails a Mexican twist? Sub whiskey out for tequila and Mezcal and replace the sugar cube with agave nectar, of course. Flaming the orange peel also adds an extra dimension to the drink – bringing out the essential oils and lending a smokiness to complement the spirits in the glass.
Crisp and refreshing – this sparkling cocktail is as easy to make as it is to drink. Dry cider complements the fragrant Honjozo sake, and the touch of yuzu adds that citrus spark. Sake isn’t used enough in cocktails, but this is a good place to start.
Speaking of sake – this ruby red drink is a homage to the sakura of Osaka. Garnished with a cherry, this may look sweet enough to be drunk with a spoon, but the dryness of the gin and sake balances it, while the grenadine and cherry liqueur give it the colour. It is strong, so approach this celebration of springtime in Japan with caution.
Hark, and let Hendrick’s Neptunia gin strike ye palate. Fresh lime, sugar syrup, soda water and sliced cucumber make this the perfect refreshment for a garden party or, given the name, a trip to the seaside.
The taste of hedgerows in halcyon days of yore. Apple and blackberry is a classic crumble combination, but it’s also good to drink. Dry gin and fresh fruit make this as quintessentially British as it comes – best enjoyed over ice on a warm day.
This creation from SUSHISAMBA looks like a Jackson Pollock from above, but the graffiti garnish is optional. Given that the restaurant fuses Peruvian, Brazilian and Japanese flavours, it’s appropriate that they’ve combined Pisco brandy with yuzu juice. Turmeric syrup adds a bittersweet flourish and egg white provides the froth we expect from a sour.
Carrot Cooler
With Easter just around the corner, a cocktail fit for the Easter Bunny seems in order: this creation contains carrot juice and egg, but no chocolate.
1.25oz Santa Teresa 1796
1oz Fresh Carrot Juice
.75oz Fresh Carrot Spiced syrup
.50oz Triple Sec
.50oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1 egg white
Combine all ingredients and dry shake for 10 seconds. Add ice, shake until chilled. Double strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a star anise. (*Please do not give this to wild/domesticated rabbits.*)