It may only be 10 days into January and many of us, including some of us here at Pop Up Bar Hire are doing Dry January, but we just can’t stop thinking about the floral and refreshing taste of the spring season’s cocktails.
Check out 10 of the tastiest, spring themed cocktails that had our mouths watering…
1. Gatsby 7
The Gatsby 7 Cocktail comes from The LCL in New York City. An apple based cocktail made with organic, fresh apple juice and a hint of apple brand that leaves a refreshing aftertaste courtesy of a double shot of the flavourful Tanqueray gin. Expect hints of juniper and controversial coriander herb…
Ingredients:
12.5ml Fresh Lime Juice | 12.5ml Sugar Syrup/Gomme | 50ml Organic Apple Juice | 12.5ml Apple Brandy | 50ml Tanqueray Gin
Instructions:
Pour ingredients into Boston Tin, (remember to start with the cheapest product first in case you make a mistake). Shake ingredients with cubed ice for approximately 10 seconds, single strain over [cubed] ice into a Collins glass and garnish with lime.
2. The Parasol
Sometimes simple is best. A delicate and sweet cocktail perfect for Spring weddings, a relaxed weekend retreat, any and all elegant events you attend this Spring season should include The Parasol. Created by the Paris Club, Chicago.
Ingredients:
12.5ml Lillet Blanc (a white wine based apertif) | 12.5ml St. Germain | 12.5ml Honey Syrup (equal parts of honey and water mixed) | 20ml Lemon Juice | Champagne
Instructions:
Shake all ingredients, excluding the champagne, for 10 seconds with cubed ice. Double strain for a smooth finish, into a champagne flute and top [generously] with champagne. Délicieux!
3. Tequila Honeysuckle
As Spring is considered ‘bee season,’ we’ll stick with the honey theme for now… Whilst we would associate The Parasol with the comforting and consistent buzz of a bee, the Tequila Honeysuckle can be considered as more of a bee sting. The unadulterated taste of the Blanco tequila gives this cocktail the kick we all may well need for the numerous Bank Holiday weekends and Six Nations celebrations within the Spring season. The Tequila Honeysuckle has been brought to you by The Ranstead Room in Philadelphia.
Ingredients:
50ml Blanco Tequila | 20ml Honey Syrup (equal parts of honey and water mixed) | 20ml Fresh Lime Juice
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients into the Boston tin (cheapest product first!). Shake for 7-10 seconds with cubed ice and double strain into a coupe glass*. Garnish with a lime wedge.
*You must always cool your glasses either in the freezer for best results or with ice and soda water prior to pouring in a completed cocktail to ensure the cocktail remains cool. This is vital when using a coupe and martini glass in particular as cocktails within a coupe are not usually served with ice.
3. Mint Julep
A Spring season staple. Known for it’s association with Southern Derby Days and the warm weather of Kentucky, the Mint Julep is a small glass filled with an abundance of well-planned and levelled flavours. Mint on the nose, a sweet bourbon to follow with a light and refreshing minty aftertaste. Courtesy of Gotham Bar and Grill in New York City.
Ingredients:
50ml Bourbon | 12.5ml Sugar Syrup/Gomme | Mint Sprigs
Instructions:
You will need crushed ice for this cocktail! Muddle two mint sprigs into a julep or highball glass with 12.5ml of sugar syrup – remember not to bruise the mint!
Bartenders Tip: clap the mint between your hands for an extra hit of minty odours and taste.
Fill the glass with 3/4 of crushed ice and add the layer the bourbon on top of the ice. Proceed to stir the bourbon into the crushed ice for a substantial amount of time, releasing an aroma of sweet bourbon and refreshing mint. Fill the remainder of the glass with crushed ice and garnish with a mint spring.
Added extras: Add in maple or watermelon to your mint juleps for extra flavour!
5. Bourbini
A perfect pairing at your Spring time BBQs. The Bourbini is a sweet bourbon drink, containing bursts of peach flavours, built on a foundation of light and bubbly sparkling wine. What’s not to like about the Bourbini? Brought to you by Doc Crow’s Southern Smokehouse and Raw Bar in Louisville.
Ingredients:
25ml Bourbon | 2 Dashes of Peach Bitters | 12.5ml Peach Liquer | Sparkling Wine
Instructions:
Place all ingredients, excluding the sparkling wine, into a Boston tin. Shake for 7-10 seconds with cubed ice before double straining for a smooth finish into a champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with a mint sprig.
6. G-MP Collins
The classic Tom Collins cocktail has been subject to many adaptations by aspiring bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts alike, but have you ever heard of one like this? The gin based cocktail is certainly refreshing, with hints of citrus and celery bitters – the G-MP Collins might not be for everyone but it certainly screams Spring time in the park to us! Created by Marshall Minaya.
Ingredients:
50ml Fords Gin | 20ml Fennel Syrup | 20ml Lemon Juice | 1 Dash Celery Bitters | 2 Dashes of Peychaud Bitters | Salt | Soda Water
Instructions:
Starting with the cheapest item, add one pinch of salt, lemon juice, syrup, celery bitters and gin to the Boston tin. Shake with cubed ice for 10 seconds and single strain into a Collins glass over cubed ice, topped up with soda and two dashes of Peychaud bitters. Garnish with a Fennel frond.
7. Ginger Sage Cocktail
Change up your Girls Night prosecco or Spring Socials alcoholic punch with the Ginger Sage Cocktail. Requiring slightly more effort, we can guarantee the Ginger Sage Cocktail is worth the effort. Sweet, delicate and elegant but still containing your favourite alcoholic drink – if you’re a prosecco fan, that is. The Ginger Sage Cocktail is brought to you by Santa Margherita.
Ingredients:
1 Bottle of Prosecco | 2tbsp Sugar Syrup/Gomme | 1 Cup of Honey | 3 Cups of Water | 2 Whole Pears* | 1 Large Piece of Ginger* | 20 Fresh Sage Leaves
*Pears must be peeled, cored and diced. Ginger must be peeled and diced.
Instructions:
Combine the honey and water in a saucepan over medium heat, bringing the mixture to a light boil. Turn down to a low heat and leave simmer until the honey has completely dissolved. Add the ginger, pears and sage leaves to the saucepan for 15-20 minutes or until the mixture has reduced by a third. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes before straining into a thick bowl or canning jar. Remove the ginger and sage leaves from the mixture. Place a small amount of cooked pear into each wine glass along with the sugar syrup/gomme, top with prosecco and garnish with sage leaves. Voilà!
8. Lake
The Lizzy Lake cocktail mirrors an idyllic bed of slightly misted water, much like the hot springs of Iceland. The gin based cocktail is the perfect balance of sweet, smooth and refreshing, containing egg white, cucumber and powdered sugar. Courtesy of The Root Restaurant & Bar in the very appropriately named White Lake, Michigan.
Ingredients:
50ml Hendrick’s Gin | 3 Drops of Rose Water | 1 Egg White | 2tbsp Powdered Sugar | 2 Slices of Cucumber [Thickly Cut] | 12.5ml Lemon Juice
Instructions:
Lightly muddle one slice of cucumber in a Boston tin, do not bruise the cucumber during muddling as this will can result in a “bitter” taste. Beginning with the cheapest first, pour the remaining ingredients into the Boston tin and shake with cubed ice until the tin is slightly frosted (15-20 seconds). Double strain to avoid rogue cucumber bits and strain into a rocks glass over cubed ice. Garnish with the second cucumber slice.
9. Corpse Reviver
An aptly named cocktail for the season of revival; where the evenings are lighter, the days are longer, the temperature is warmer and the trees are once again full. The Corpse Reviver is not for the faint hearted, a concoction of Tanqueray, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc and Absinthe – garnished with a brandied cherry. Perfect for those multiple Bank Holiday weekends. Brought to you by The Lambs Club.
Ingredients:
50ml Tanqueray Gin | 12.5ml Cointreau | 12.5ml Lillet Blanc | 20ml Fresh Lemon Juice | 12.5ml Absinthe (for rinsing) | Brandied Cherry
Instructions:
Served in a Nick & Nora glass, rinse the glass with 12.5ml absinthe. Place all remaining ingredients into a Boston tin with cubed ice and give it a hard shake for 15-20 seconds. Double strain into a Nick & Nora glass, garnish with the brandied cherry and serve.
10. Spring Blossom
Another aptly named cocktail with a pinkish hue that mirrors Shepherds Delight. The Spring Blossom is a light and fruity cocktail, perfect for any occasion and a worthy Instagram picture. The Spring Blossom was created by Deena Veranszki, head mixologist of Pennethorne’s Bar at Somerset House in London.
Ingredients:
50ml Bloom Gin | 20ml Rose Liqueur | 10ml Strawberry Liqueur | 10ml Agave Nectar (optional) | Cucumber for Garnish
Instructions:
Nice & Easy. Place all ingredients into a Boston tin, starting with the cheapest product first, shake for 10 seconds with cubed ice. Strain over cubed ice into a rocks glass or tumbler. Garnish with a cucumber slice.
Are you organising a Spring time event? Why don’t you contact us today, available for any & all events no matter how big or small!