These Spring Cocktails Are Almost Too Pretty to Drink

Now that spring is arriving and we're officially moving on from cuffing season (and by moving on I mean never using the term again), it's time to enjoy the weather and invite some close friends over for a get together. The first step? Choosing from these spring cocktail recipes, below, that will give everyone the refresh they need after four months of hot toddies and espresso martinis. Think of them as frosé's older, more sophisticated siblings that still like to have a little fun.

1. The Secret Garden

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. The Botanist Gin

2. GM-P Collins

Ingredients:

2 oz Ford’s Gin

¾ oz fennel syrup

¾ oz lemon juice

1 dash Scrappy’s Celery Bitterspinch of salt

Soda

Fennel Frond

2 dashes of Peychaud

Directions:

Add gin, fennel syrup, lemon, celery bitters, and salt to a small tin, add ice, and shake. Strain into a collins glass and top with soda and two dashes of Peychaud bitters on the top cube.

Courtesy of Marshall Minaya and available at Valerie

3. Champagne Ginger Beer Punch

Ingredients:

16 oz (2 cups) pomegranate juice

12 oz (1.5 cups) cranberry Juice

3 T lemon juice

8 oz (1 cup) peach vodka

1 bottle (750 ml) champagne

12 oz Brooklyn Crafted Ginger Beer Mini, Traditional

Mint Leaf

Directions:

In a glass with ice, combine the listed ingredients. Stir and add pomegranate seeds, as desired. Garnish with a mint leaf and enjoy.

Courtesy of Brooklyn Crafted

4. Kim Crawford Rosé-jito

Ingredients:

20 oz Kim Crawford Rosé

4 sprigs of fresh mint

2 oz agave syrup or simple syrup

3 oz fresh lime juice

10 oz grapefruit flavored soda water

Directions:

In a large pitcher, gently muddle mint with syrup. Top with lime juice, rosé and soda. Mix well. Serve over ice and garnish with grapefruit slices.

Courtesy of Kim Crawford

5. Green Cup

Ingredients:

2 parts SVEDKA Vodka

¾ part fresh lime juice

¾ part simple syrup

Cucumber slices and basil

Directions:

Muddle cucumber and basil in a cocktail shaker. Add remaining ingredients and shake vigorously. Fine strain into a chilled Martini glass, and garnish lavishly with cucumber and basil.

Courtesy of SVEDKA

6. Classic Moscow Mule

Ingredients:

1 ½ ounces vodka

1 ½ ounces lime juice

4 oz Brooklyn Crafted Extra Spicy Ginger Beer

Directions:

In a Moscow mule mug, combine the listed ingredients and pour over ice. Stir, garnish with a lime, and enjoy.

Courtesy of Brooklyn Crafted

7. Taste the Tropics

Ingredients:

4 oz. Jose Cuervo Orange

Pineapple Margarita

Directions:

Garnish with lime slice, orange zest, and pineapple wedge.

Courtesy of Jose Cuervo

8. Noble Punch

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Casa Noble Crystal Tequila

0.5 oz lime juice

1 oz pineapple juice

0.75 oz simple syrup

Soda water

Dash bitters

Pineapple wedge

Directions:

Place Casa Noble, lime juice, pineapple juice, and simple syrup into shaker with ice. Shake until chilled. Strain into glass; top with soda and bitters. Garnish with pineapple wedge.

Courtesy of Casa Noble

9. Peach Nectar Ginger Beer

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. Handcrafted Peach Vodka

3.5 oz. Brooklyn Crafted Ginger Beer Mini in Mango

Mint Leaf

Directions:

In a short glass with ice, combine the two ingredients. Stir and add peach slices, as desired. Garnish with a mint leaf and enjoy.

Courtesy of Brooklyn Crafted

10. JT

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. Johnnie Walker Black Label

1.5 oz. Guava Nectar Juice

0.25 oz. Lime Juice

4 oz. TonicThyme Sprig

Directions:

Add all ingredients into a balloon glass except for tonic. Add ice and stir to chill. Top off with tonic and thyme sprig garnish.

Courtesy of mixologist Carlos Ruiz

11. The Favorite Sangria

Ingredients:

1 part SVEDKA Peach

3 parts Ruffino Lumina

1 part white grape juice

¼ part fresh lime juice

Peach slices

Mango cubes

Raspberries

Apple slices

Other fresh fruit (optional)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher over ice and stir.

Courtesy of SVEDKA

12. Ginger Apple Cooler

Ingredients:

2 oz. Crown Royal Regal Apple

1 tsp. Maple Syrup

1 tsp. lemon juice

Brooklyn Crafted Extra Spicy Ginger Beer, to fill

Garnish with Candied Ginger

Directions:

Combine Whiskey, maple syrup, lemon juice, and ice in a cocktail shaker; shake vigorously. Serve topped with ginger beer and garnish with candied ginger.

Courtesy of Brooklyn Crafted

13. Sparkling Punch

Ingredients:

1 750-ml bottle chilled Santa Margherita Sparkling Rosé

3/4 cup limoncello

1 cup fresh raspberries

1 cup quartered fresh strawberries

1 medium lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed

Directions:

In a large pitcher, combine the limoncello, raspberries and strawberries. Top with the chilled rosé champagne and stir in half of the lemon wheels. Pour into old-fashioned glass with ice. Place fruit in each glass and garnish with a lemon wheel, and be sure each glass contains fresh berries.

Servings: 6

Courtesy of Santa Margherita

14. Crawford on the Green

Ingredients:

1 bottle of Kim Crawford, chilled

2 oz St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur

1 green apple, sliced thinly

1 bunch fresh rosemary sprigs

Directions:

Half-fill six chilled coupe glasses with ice cubes. Add a splash of St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur to each glass. Fill each glass with Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. Garnish with three apple slices and a rosemary sprig on a cocktail pick. Enjoy.

Courtesy of Kim Crawford

15. Lemon Sours Spritz

Ingredients:

1.5 oz HI-CHEW Lemon Sours Elderflower Liqueur

.5 oz lemon juice

.5 oz simple syrup

Sparkling wine

Directions:

Shake the liqueur, juice, and syrup with ice in a cocktail shaker, strain into a chilled coupe, top with sparkling wine. *Infusions: The infusion ratio is one piece of candy per ounce of liquor. Soak the candy until dissolved.

Courtesy of HI-CHEW

16. Crown Royal Peach Cocktail

Ingredients:

Royal Peach Tea

1.5 oz Crown Royal Peach

6.0 oz Iced Tea

1 Slice of Lemon or Peach

Royal Peach Fizz

0.5 oz Crown Royal Peach

0.5 oz Orange Juice

4.0 oz Champagne

1 Mint Sprig

Directions:

Royal Peach Tea

Fill a mason jar with crushed ice. Add Crown Royal Peach and iced tea. Stir gently then garnish with a lemon or peach slice (or both!).

Royal Peach Fizz

Add Crown Royal Peach and orange juice to a stemless champagne glass. Top with champagne. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Courtesy of Crown Royal

17. Lucky Lychee

Ingredients:

2 oz D’Usse Cognac XO

1 lychee

1 strawberry

¼ oz simple syrup

2 dashes rhubarb bitters

Ace Of Spades champagne

Directions:

Muddle lychee, strawberry, and simple syrup in a shaker. Add D’USSE XO, rhubarb bitters, and ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled coup glass. Top with champagne. Garnish with a lychee on a metal skewer.

Courtesy of D'Usse Cognac XO

18. Cucumber Lime Basil Prosecco Spritzer

Ingredients:

1 lime juiced

4 basil leaves

4 cucumber slices

Santa Margherita Prosecco Superiore DOCG

Directions:

Muddle lime juice, basil, and cucumber in a shaker glass. (For extra flavor infusion allow mixture to marinate in the fridge for at least one hour.) Add ice and shake mixture. Strain the juice only (about ½ oz.) into a prosecco glass. Top with Santa Margherita Prosecco Superiore DOCG, and garnish with a basil leaf and cucumber slice.

Courtesy of Santa Margherita

19. Orchard Rosé Refresher

Ingredients:

4 oz Angry Orchard Rose Cider

0.75 oz Citrus Vodka

0.5 oz Cointreau

0.75 Cranberry Juice

0.5 oz Simple Syrup

0.25 oz

Lime Juice

Directions:

Build in a hurricane glass with ice and top with Cider. Garnish with an orange twist.

Courtesy of Angry Orchard

20. Spritz Lautrec

Ingredients:

3oz champagne

1oz cold chai tea

1/2oz St-Germain

1/2oz vermouth

2 dashes Pernod

Directions:

Pour all ingredients into a collins glass filled with ice. Garnish with grapes and a lemon twist.

Courtesy of St-Germain’s new cocktail book How to Spritz French Fluently on sale March 1.

21. Rosé Clover

Ingredients:

2oz SVEDKA Rosé

.75oz lillet rose

.75oz lemon juice

.75oz 1:1 simple syrup

4 raspberries

2 dashes orange bitters

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a mixing tin and shake vigorously with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a triangular lemon twist and two skewered raspberries.

Courtesy of SVEDKA

22. Hibiscus Cocktail

Ingredients:

Santa Margherita Prosecco Superiore

Whole hibiscus flowers, packed in syrup

8 tsps of hibiscus syrup used to pack the flowers

Directions:

Place a whole hibiscus flower in the bottom of glass. Fill glass with Santa Margherita Prosecco Superiore to ¾” of the rim. Carefully spoon 2 tsps of the hibiscus syrup down the interior side of each glass.

Courtesy of Santa Margherita

23. Lavender Honey Fizz

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. The Botanist Gin

.75 oz. fresh lemon juice

.75 oz. White Wine Aperitif

.5 oz. honey water (1:1 honey to water)

4 dashes rosemary bitters

1.5 oz. soda water

1-2 sprigs fresh lavender

Directions:

Combine The Botanist Gin, lemon juice, White Wine Aperitif, honey, and bitters in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake. Strain over ice into a rocks glass and top with soda water. Garnish with lavender.

Courtesy of The Botanist Gin

24. Via Alpina

Ingredients:

1.5oz Lemorton Pommeau

0.5oz clear creek douglas fir brandy

0.5oz St-Germain

2oz dry sparkling cider to top

1oz soda water to top

Directions:

Pour all ingredients except sparkling cider and soda water into a wineglass filled with ice. Stir to combine. Top with sparkling cider and soda water. Garnish with a lemon twist and a Castelvetrano olive on a pick.

Courtesy of St-Germain’s new cocktail book How to Spritz French Fluently on sale March 1.

25. Frosé Watermelon Granita

Note: We've included this if you just can't wait until summer for a good frosé.

Ingredients:

1 bottle Santa Margherita Sparkling Rosé

1 quart watermelon-rosemary sorbet (store bought or recipe below)

2 cups diced, seedless watermelon

Directions:

Spoon a scoop of sorbet into the bottom of a chilled glass and top with a tablespoon or so of the watermelon cubes. Pour the Santa Margherita Sparkling Rosé over the sorbet and melon. Garnish with mint. Serve immediately with a silver spoon.

Servings: 4

Courtesy of Santa Margherita

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Rachel Epstein is a writer, editor, and content strategist based in New York City. Most recently, she was the Managing Editor at Coveteur, where she oversaw the site’s day-to-day editorial operations. Previously, she was an editor at Marie Claire, where she wrote and edited culture, politics, and lifestyle stories ranging from op-eds to profiles to ambitious packages. She also launched and managed the site’s virtual book club, #ReadWithMC. Offline, she’s likely watching a Heat game or finding a new coffee shop.