Food, Travel, Living

From the cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin to the early daffodils emerging in the flower garden, springtime is here. What better way to toast the season than with bonnet Spring cocktails.

Chefs appreciate that seasonal ingredients offer the best flavors. The same concept applies to cocktails. Fresh fruits, unique garnishes and even vibrant colors transform classic cocktails into sensational seasonal sippers.

When picking a Spring cocktail, consider flavors that bring a splash of excitement. The eye popping colors can entice, but the taste needs to create a thirst for a second sip. These options are deliver on that concept.

Spring Cocktails Celebrate Fruity, Floral and More Flavors

Macadamia Piña-jito

Sammy Hagar, the Red Rocker, knows how to usher in the fun, and his Sammy’s Beach Bar Platinum Rum is always a good choice to bring all the festive vibes. His recipe for a Macadamia Piña-jito captures those carefree beach moments with a splash of sophistication.

This cocktail is a mash-up of a pina colada and a mojito. Ingredients include fresh mint leaves, fresh lime juice, Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut, fresh pineapple chunks, Sammy’s Beach Bar Platinum Rum, soda water as needed, Sammy’s Red Head Rum and Peychaud’s Bitters. It is perfect for brunch, easy afternoons or anytime you want to be transported to sunny days and warm beach breezes.

Lemon Rye Rickey

Rye whiskey tends to have a warm, spicy flavor. While that taste is great on a chilly day, it is equally as delightful on a bright, Spring day. By combining it with citrus and club soda, it is light and zesty. For anyone who thirsts for an easy sipper, this cocktail is a must try.

Ingredients:

• 2 parts Russell’s Reserve 6-Year Old Rye Whiskey
• 0.75 parts Lemon juice
• 1 part Lime Cordial*
• Top w/ club soda

Method:

• Combine all ingredients, except club soda, in a mixing tin and shake with fresh ice.
• Strain into a highball or Collins glass over fresh ice and top with club soda.
• Garnish with Lemon & Lime ribbon.

The Blaze

Hibiscus is a perfect flavor for spring. This cocktail combines vibrant citrus with the delicate floral. Combined with the rosemary, it offers a lovely balance of slightly sweet, herbaceous and woody. It feels like a walk through a meadow on a bright sunny day.

Created by Erika Flowers for Ketel One Vodka

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ oz Ketel One Vodka
• ¾ oz Orange Curacao
• ¾ oz Blood Orange & Lime Juice Blend*
• ¾ oz Spiced Hibiscus Tea**
• Garnish: Torched Rosemary Sprig
• Glassware: Old Fashioned Glass
• Ice: Large Format Ice Cube (2″ x 2″)

Method:

• Combine Ketel One Vodka, Cointreau, Citrus Blend, and Spiced Hibiscus Tea in a mixing tin.
• Shake with cubed ice until cold.
• Double strain into old fashioned glass over a large format ice cube.
• Garnish with a torched sprig of rosemary.

Sub-Recipes:

• *Blood Orange & Lime Juice Blend
• 50% Natalies Blood Orange Juice
• 50% Fresh Lime Juice

**Spiced Hibiscus Tea

Ingredients:

• 16 oz Water
• 65g Cane Sugar
• 10g Dried Hibiscus Flowers
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 3 Whole Clove Buds
• Pinch Dried Lavender Buds

Method:

• Combine all ingredients except cane sugar in a small pot over low heat. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes and remove from heat. Stir in cane sugar until completely dissolved and allow to cool. Store in an airtight vessel and keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.

NOLET’S Silver Botanical Daisy

Gin is always a popular spirit for spring. The botanicals mimic those first blooms. In this cocktail, the drink is simple but potent. It is definitely a slow sipper, but an easy choice to enjoy over a leisurely afternoon.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. NOLET’S Silver Gin
• 0.5 oz. Ketel One Botanical Grapefruit & Rose
• 1 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 Tbsp. Maraschino Syrup
• Club Soda

Method:

• Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add NOLET’S Silver, Ketel One Botanical Grapefruit & Rose, lemon, and syrup. Shake and strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Top with soda water. Garnish with 2 Maraschino cherries.

Spring Sipper

A little burst of spice can turn a rain shower into a rejuvenating experience. This Spring cocktail is a touch spicy, a little bitter and tangy. Instead of another spritz or negroni, this bourbon cocktail could be another signature sipper.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Jeptha Creed Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon
• 3 dashes Ne Oublie Strawberry Ginger Bitters
• ½ oz Campari
• 1 oz grapefruit juice
• 1 oz lime juice
• 1½ oz simple syrup
• Lime wheel
• Coarse sugar

Instructions:

• Rim highball (collins) glass with coarse sugar
• Add all ingredients to shaker tin
• Add ice and shake
• Double strain over ice in a highball (collins) glass
• Garnish with lime wheel