Spring Cocktails So Pretty You (Almost) Won’t Want to Drink Them

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.

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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.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 1
Calories 197 kcal

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
Keyword Cocktails and spirits, Drinks, Spring

Botanical-Ada

The tropical combination of pineapple and coconut takes a botanical turn with the addition of honey, lavender, orange blossom, and floral gin.

The tropical combination of pineapple and coconut takes a botanical turn with the addition of honey, lavender, orange blossom, and floral gin.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 1
Calories 301 kcal

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
Keyword Cocktails and spirits, Drinks, Spring

Garden Party

This foamy pink sour layers five different floral infusions for a veritable bouquet of flavor: elderflower, lavender, hibiscus, rose, and hops.

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Garden Party Cocktail

This foamy pink sour layers five different floral infusions for a veritable bouquet of flavor: elderflower, lavender, hibiscus, rose, and hops.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 1
Calories 203 kcal

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
Keyword Cocktails and spirits, Drinks, Spring

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.

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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
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1
Calories 131 kcal

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
Keyword Cocktails and spirits, Drinks, Spring

This story originally appeared in the Spring/Summer 2019 issue of The Inspired Home Journal, titled “Kaleidoscope Cocktails.”