Spring Cocktails So Pretty You (Almost) Won’t Want to Drink Them
BY Colleen Jeffers ON January 13, 2021
UPDATED ON February 2, 2023
Sugar, acid, spirit. Almost every cocktail relies on achieving the perfect harmony between those few key elements, so much so that a “well-balanced drink” has become the ultimate compliment to the cocktailier. In these recipes, the freshest flavors of the growing season add their vernal notes to the classic melody.
Snap Pea Gin and Tonic
The Gin and Tonic, known for its crisp florals and botanicals, takes a turn towards the vegetal with the addition of a snap pea infusion.
Snap Pea Gin and Tonic
The Gin and Tonic, known for its crisp floral and botanicals, takes a turn towards the vegetal with the addition of a snap pea infusion.
Ingredients
- 0.67 cups snap peas, roughly chopped
- 1 cups gin (2 oz per drink)
- 5 oz tonic water, good quality
- 1 lemon, for peeling
Instructions
- For the snap pea infusion: Combine 2/3 cup roughly chopped snap peas with 1 cup gin. Let sit for one hour, stirring occasionally, then strain through cheesecloth or a nut milk bag. Store in freezer.
- For the cocktail: Express the lemon peel by twisting it into a chilled, empty wine goblet. Run the peel around the edges of the glass and discard.
- Add 2 oz gin to the goblet.
- Gently pour the tonic water into the gin by tilting the glass and pouring it down the side.
- Garnish with juniper berries or peppercorns, pea shoots or shiso, and edible flowers.
- Optional: add a squeeze of lemon. Adding the garnishes and citrus last keeps the carbonation from dissipating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 197kcalCarbohydrates: 12.5gSodium: 18mgSugar: 12.5g
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Botanical-Ada
The tropical combination of pineapple and coconut takes a botanical turn with the addition of honey, lavender, orange blossom, and floral gin.
Botanical-Ada
The tropical combination of pineapple and coconut takes a botanical turn with the addition of honey, lavender, orange blossom, and floral gin.
Ingredients
- 2 oz floral gin (like Hendrick’s or Nolet’s Silver Dry)
- .5 oz pineapple juice
- .5 oz fresh squeezed/strained lemon juice
- .5 oz cream of coconut
- .5 oz heavy cream
- 1 cups honey
- .67 cups hot water
- 0.25 cups lavender
- 0.25 tsp orange blossom water
Instructions
- For the Honey Lavender Syrup: Bring 1 cup honey and 2/3 cup hot water to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Add ¼ cup lavender and let simmer for two minutes. Remove from heat and cover. Let stand overnight, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve and store in the fridge. Use .5 oz per cocktail.
- For the Cocktail: Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with three ice cubes. Shake for five seconds, then pour into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Add additional crushed ice and garnish with a pineapple flower or sprig of lavender (or both); serve with a straw.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 301kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 1.2gFat: 9.6gSaturated Fat: 7.8gSodium: 5mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 13.4g
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Garden Party
This foamy pink sour layers five different floral infusions for a veritable bouquet of flavor: elderflower, lavender, hibiscus, rose, and hops.
Garden Party Cocktail
This foamy pink sour layers five different floral infusions for a veritable bouquet of flavor: elderflower, lavender, hibiscus, rose, and hops.
Ingredients
- 2 oz lavender-infused vodka
- .5 oz elderflower liqueur
- .5 oz fresh squeezed/strained lemon juice
- 1 tbsp hibiscus tea (dried hibiscus leaves)
- 1 cups hot water
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cups IPA beer
- 4 drops rosewater (use 3-5 depending how strong you like it)
- 1 egg white
Instructions
- For the Hibiscus Syrup: Add 1 tablespoon hibiscus tea (dried hibiscus leaves) to 1 cup of very hot water. Let stand for 5 minutes, then add 1 cup sugar and stir until combined. Let cool and store in the fridge. Use .5 oz per cocktail.
- For the IPA Syrup: Add equal parts (ideally by weight – use a kitchen scale if you have one) IPA beer and sugar in a blender, then blend on high until combined. Store in fridge. Use .5 oz per cocktail.
- For the Cocktail: Add vodka, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, .5 oz hibiscus syrup, .5 oz IPA syrup, rosewater and eggg white to a shaker with one ice cube. Shake in an oval-like motion until the ice completely dissolves (when you don’t hear it rattling inside any more). Pour without a strainer into a large coupe. Garnish with edible flowers.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 203kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 3.8gFat: 0.2gSaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 37mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 12.5g
THEINSPIREDHOME.COM
Chartreulep
Green Chartreuse is the only liqueur in the world with a completely natural green color. Adding a splash of this intensely herbal spirit to a classic julep makes the drink as verdant as the grass on Churchill Downs.
Chartreulep
Green Chartreuse is the only liqueur in the world with a completely natural green color. Adding a splash of this intensely herbal spirit to a classic julep makes the drink as verdant as the grass on Churchill Downs
Ingredients
- 2 oz Bourbon
- 1 oz Green Chartreuse
- 3 sprigs fresh mint (at least)
- powdered sugar, for garnish
Instructions
- Splash a tiny bit of chartreuse into the bottom of a metal julep cup. Using your fingers, gently press the mint sprigs into the bottom and sides of the cup until you can smell the mint, then discard.
- Fill the cup completely with crushed ice. Pour the bourbon evenly over the ice. Pour the remaining chartreuse over the bourbon-soaked ice.
- Top with additional crushed ice, using your hands to pack a snow cone-like mound on top. Top lightly with powdered sugar and an herbal garnish, then serve with a straw.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 131kcalSodium: 1mgSugar: 0.1g
THEINSPIREDHOME.COM
This story originally appeared in the Spring/Summer 2019 issue of The Inspired Home Journal, titled “Kaleidoscope Cocktails.”
