The 5 Best Spring Cocktails to Kick Back With Right Now
MEET THE MIXOLOGY EQUIVALENTS OF SUNSHINE IN A GLASS.
At long last, April is in full swing. That means the days are getting longer, the air is getting warmer, and your cocktails are getting a much-needed, seasonal kick. So stow away all of those smoky winter ingredients and infuse your favorite spring cocktails with refreshing, orchard-fresh pineapples, mangos, and strawberries. And if it's date-night, don't miss these sexy aphrodisiac cocktails for setting the mood.
1
Orange Whiskey Tea
Orange whiskey tea is one of the most versatile spring cocktails around. The whiskey warms your belly while the citrus cools you off, making it the perfect libation for transitioning from chilly nights to breezy afternoons.
Ingredients
2 oz of your favorite Whiskey
2 Fruit-flavored Tea Bags
½ oz fresh Orange Juice
1 Orange Wedge (peeled), plus 1 orange rind for twist
1 tsp Honey
½ cup Water
How to Make It
Steep the two tea bags in ½ cup of hot water for 2-5 minutes. Add honey to the water while still hot. Pour whiskey and orange juice into a cocktail shaker. Add ice to the shaker. When the tea is done steeping, pour it into the shaker and shake vigorously. Place ice into a highball glass & strain mixture into glass. Run the orange rind around the rim and then garnish with the twist.
2
Piña-Rita
This potent beachside concoction is part Piña Colada and part Margarita—with a spicy kick to liven things up. Salud!
Ingredients
2 oz 100% Blue Agave Silver Tequila
6 chunks fresh Pineapple, plus 1 for garnish
1 oz Pineapple Juice
2 thin slices Jalapeño (seeds removed)
1 oz fresh Lime Juice
1 Lime Wedge for rimming glass & garnishing
½ oz Agave
½ oz Cointreau
Sea Salt for rimming
How to Make It
Pour sea salt onto a small plate. Make a slit in the center of a lime wedge and run it around the rim your glass, then dip the glass in the salt to rim it. Place pineapple chunks, lime juice, and pineapple juice into a blender. Puree. Muddle the two jalapeño slices in a cocktail shaker then add the tequila, agave, and Cointreau. Add ice to the shaker, then add the pureed pineapple mixture and shake vigorously. Pour into the glass. Garnish with one pineapple chunk and one lime wedge.
3
Spring Sangria
Everybody loves a good sangria on those warmer days. It's a light, refreshing, and always one of the most crowd-pleasing spring cocktails. I like to use a dry white wine in this recipe, to balance out the sweetness we get from the fruit and the Cointreau. Here, I used Verdicchio, a wine from the Le Marche region in Italy. This is arguably the country's greatest native white grape variety; for our purposes, it lends itself beautifully to the Sangria.
Ingredients
2 bottles of Verdicchio
1 ½ cups sliced Strawberries
1 ½ cups diced Mangoes
1 Orange sliced
½ cup Cointreau
½ cup Brandy
Sparkling water
Basil
How to Make it
Place all of the fruit into a large pitcher and fill with the wine. Add the Cointreau and Brandy. Place a large sprig of basil into the pitcher. Let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. When you're ready to drink, add sparkling water and serve in glasses over ice.
4
Vodka Strawberry-Lemonade
Lemonade always conjures up memories of standing in front of my parents' home, with a sign and a stand, collecting change from the neighbors. Well, this is my grown-up version—and I've incorporated some season-appropriate strawberries. We all like to feel like a kid again, don't we?
Ingredients
2 oz Good quality Vodka (Here, I used Tito's Vodka.)
2 oz fresh Lemon Juice
6 Strawberries
2 Lemon wedges
1 oz Honey syrup (equal parts honey and water heated up in a saucepan)
Club Soda
1 sprig of Mint
How to Make It
Puree the strawberries in a blender with the lemon juice. In a shaker, muddle the lemon wedges. Make sure to smash the lemon wedges enough to release the oils in the rind. Use the back of a spoon to press the pureed strawberries through a cocktail strainer over the shaker so the seeds are left behind. Add ice to the shaker, then add the vodka and the honey syrup, and shake vigorously. Pour into a highball glass and top with club soda. Garnish with a mint sprig.
5
Green Gods & Goddesses
This is a recipe I included in my St. Patrick's Day (green) cocktails post, but I felt compelled to include it among my list of spring cocktails too. It's exceptionally light and refreshing, making it a perfect warm-weather libation. Cheers!
Ingredients
2 oz Gin
1 oz fresh Lime Juice
3 slices Cucumber, plus 1 slice for garnish
4 fresh Mint Sprigs (leaves off and chopped)
Club soda
How to Make It
Add gin, lime juice, cucumber, and mint to your cocktail shaker. Muddle. Add ice and shake well. Add ice to your glass and strain cocktail over the ice. Top with club soda.
Shana Wall is a writer and certified sommelier based in New York City. For more info, follow her on Instagram here @ShanaWall. For more amazing advice for living smarter, looking better, feeling younger, and playing harder, follow us on Facebook now!