Happy Spring!
Here are a few of our favorite cocktails for this time of year, when some nights are warm and delightful, and some nights are still a bit chilly. Check them out!
April Showers
Bright, colorful, fruity & balanced – perfect for this time of year, with our amazing citrus vodka and fresh berries.
2 oz Twisted Citrus Vodka
3/4 oz Honey Simple (2 parts honey, 1 part hot water shaken up)
1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice (use 3/4 if the berries are super sweet)
2-4 fresh strawberries (2 large ones, 3 medium sized, 4 small)
Wash, then cut up the berries into large chunks. Muddle berries with honey simple, then add lemon juice & Twisted Citrus. Shake with ice, then strain into a chilled coupe glass. If you don’t want any chunks, use a fine strainer to double-strain the cockail. Garnish with a lemon curl (or a slice of berry, if desired!).
Cucumber Caipiroska
This is one of our perennial favorite drinks, and this year it’s feeling right for spring. Fresh cucumbers with gin and lime, what’s not to love? And you can add some fresh garden herbs if you have ’em, or some hot peppers, to liven it up even more!
1-1/2 oz Gin No. 11
1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 oz Plain Simple
4 slices fresh English Cucumber, 3 cut up into wedges (1 for garnish)
Muddle the 3 cut cucumber slices with the plain simple & lime juice. Add gin and ice to your shaker (only fill it halfway on this one!). Shake well, then dump the shaker contents into a rocks glass. Garnish with the additional cucumber slice, and enjoy.
*Pro tip – if you want to add fresh herbs or fresh hot pepper slices, add them at the muddling stage.
Nordic Old Fashioned
This lighter yet spicier take on an old fashioned is one of our favorites for a cool spring night, especially if we’re sitting by a firepit or on the porch admiring the sunset.
2 oz Aquavit – Private Reserve
1/2 oz Demerara Simple (made 1.5:1 with turbinado or demerara sugar and water)
4 dashes Chocolate Bitters (we use Strongwater brand)
1 half-slice of fresh orange
Muddle orange with bitters & simple. Add Aquavit, then stir well with ice. Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass, and garnish with a wide swath of orange peel, or a cinnamon stick, or both.
