The 26 best spring cocktails to cheers the season with

Ah, spring. The doldrums of winter give way to the many greens and sprouting goodness of a new, brighter, milder season. If that’s not reason to celebrate we don’t know what is.

Hibernation season is behind us, so trade in those hot cocktails and heady pours of Scotch for some breezier drinks with a little more finesse. You can enjoy one somewhere in between spring cleaning and planting your garden. And if the cards are right, you may even be able to enjoy that drink al fresco, as the sun sets at a much more reasonable hour.

You’ve made it, you deserve this. Here are the 26 best spring cocktails to enjoy in 2023.

Garden Mojito

The Mojito is a refreshing summer drink but, treated the right way, can be a great spring sipper too. This one comes from Citrus Club in Charleston, South Carolina and incorporates the bergamot goodness of Italicus.

Prep Time: 4 minutes
Total Time: 4 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 ounce vodka (Tito’s preferred)
• 1 ounce Italicus Liqueur
• 1/2 ounce St. George Basil Brandy
• 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
• 4 mint leaves
• 3 basil leaves
• Soda water

Method

1. Add all ingredients to tin except soda water and shake vigorously.
2. Strain into a Collins glass with crushed and top with soda water.
3. Garnish with basil and mint sprigs.

Pathfinder Julep

Here’s a very session-able Julep, made with an NA hemp spirit and treated to the one-of-a-kind flavor of Fernet, just in time for Derby season.

Prep Time: 4 minutes
Total Time: 4 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 2 ounces The Pathfinder Hemp and Root
• 1/2 ounce Fernet Branca Menta
• 8-10 mint leaves

Method

1. Muddle mint leaves in the bottom of a julep cup.
2. Add liquid ingredients and crushed ice.
3. Garnish with mint bouquet and a nice straw.

Cherry Blossom Sour

Can’t make it to D.C. for the blossoms? Drink ’em with this spring-tasting cocktail featuring shochu, created by mixologist Natasha Velez.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 2 ounces iichiko Silhouette
• 1/2 ounce plum wine
• 1 ounce lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce cherry blossom syrup
• 1 egg white

Method

1. Mix all ingredients into a cocktail shaker without ice, dry shake for 1 min, add ice and shake again.
2. Double strain into sour cocktail glass or coupe.

Paper Plane

There’s nothing over-the-top about this lovely drink, kissed by Aperol and offset wonderfully by Amaro. If you want to stretch it out a bit, pour it over a large ice cube.

Prep Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 3 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 3/4 part Wild Turkey Bourbon 
• 3/4 part fresh squeezed lemon juice 
• 3/4 part Amaro 
• 3/4 part Aperol 

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake vigorously.
2. Strain into a glass and garnish with citrus. Serve up without ice or in an Old Fashioned glass with single cube.

Lychee Martini

Spring is all about color and floral components and this cocktail tips its hat to both in style (and it’s way better than an Espresso Martini).

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 2 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Bayab Rose Water Gin
• 1 ounce Rose Vermouth
• 1/2 ounce lychee liqueur (Giffard makes a popular one)
• Dash of rose water

Method

1. Stir all the ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass.
2. Garnish with a citrus twist and a rose petal or whatever flower you can get your hands on.

Winter Spritz Recipe

The work of Maxime Belfand at Saxon + Parole in NYC, this drink employs light, spring-like wines and plenty of bittersweet accents.

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 2 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 ounce Martini & Rossi Riserva Speciale Bitter
• 1 ounce Martini & Rossi Ambrato
• Perrier and Lambrusco
• 1 ounce blood orange juice
• 3 dashes olive bitters
• Blood orange wheel, green olive, and single rosemary sprig to garnish

Method

1. Build all ingredients and top with equal parts Lambrusco and Perrier.

They Call Him Singapore “The Sling” Recipe

This cocktail was put together by Francesco Amodeo, a master blender over at Don Ciccio & Figli. It’s a little tropical, a little floral, and very spring.

Prep Time: 4 minutes
Total Time: 4 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 3/4 ounce gin
• 1/2 ounce Don Ciccio Cerasum Cherry Aperitivo
• 1/4 ounce Don Ciccio Mandarinetto
• 1/4 ounce Don Ciccio Finocchietto
• 2 ounces pineapple juice
• 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
• 1 dash bitters
• club soda

Method

1. Stir all ingredients except club soda with ice.
2. Strain into a rocks glass with new ice.
3. Top with club soda and garnish with an orange twist.

Between the Apple Trees Recipe

Fashioned by Anthony Rettino for NYC’s Hotel Delmano, this drink shakes up some brandy and calls on the unique flavors of a specialty vinegar and nutty bitters.

Prep Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 3 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces Neversink Apple Brandy
• 1/2 ounce Wood’s Cider Mill Boiled Cider Syrup
• 1/2 ounce lime juice
• 1/4 ounce Nordic Rosehip Vinegar
• 1 dash Fee Brothers Walnut Bitters

Method

1. Shake all ingredients with a pinch of fresh thyme leaves.
2. Garnish with an apple fan and serve in a coupe glass.

Lola’s Gift Recipe

Cognac is in form these days and not just as a sipper but as a cocktail base. This drink, created by Channing Centeno, tastes as good as it looks.

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 7 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces Cognac
• 1/2 ounce St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
• 1/4 ounce Lola’s Mix (1 part tamarind, 1 part Calamansi and 1 part pickled mango)
• 1/4 ounce ginger syrup
• 1 ounce egg white
• 2 dashes tiki salt
• 1 dash chili tincture

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in tin and dry shake with 1 ice cube.
2. Add 4 more ice cubes to tin and shake.
3. Strain into a chilled short rocks glass that has been wrapped with a thin piece of banana leaf with no ice.
4. Grate roasted and dehydrated garlic over top.

Mango Basil Margarita Recipe

This cocktail comes courtesy of Will Benedetto at Refinery Rooftop in New York. It capitalizes on the spring-centric ingredient mango and how well it works with tequila.

Prep Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Casamigos Tequila Blanco
• 1 ounce mango basil puree*
• 3/4 ounce lime juice
• Tajin mix

Method

1. Shake very hard with 5-6 ice cubes.
2. No need to strain, just pour the entire contents of the shaker into a Tajin-rimmed rocks glass.

*Mango Basil Puree: Mix 2 ounces vodka, 1500 grams mango puree, 300 grams minced basil, and 400 grams agave.

What’s Up, Brock? Recipe

Practically healthy, this refresher created by Brockmans blends gin with carrot, coriander, and the one-of-a-kind flavor of apricot.

Prep Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 3 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 ounce Brockmans Gin
• 3/4 ounce Lejay Apricot Liqueur
• 1 ounce carrot juice
• 5 fresh coriander leaves

Method

1. Add gin, liqueur, carrot juice, and coriander leaves to a shaker of ice cubes and shake vigorously.
2. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice cubes and garnish with the green stem of a carrot.

Pájaro Verde Recipe

It’s no wonder this drink was thought up at JSix in San Diego. It’s sunny to the core, blending spice, avocado, Pisco, and plenty of fresh citrus.

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 2 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 2 ounces avocado-infused pisco
• 1/2 ounce cilantro-jalapeno syrup
• 1/4 ounce lemon juice
• 1/4 ounce lime juice
• 1 dash orange bitters

Method

1. In a mixing tin, add all ingredients, shake, fine strain, and serve in a glass.

Jitney Negroni Recipe

Leo Robitschek is behind this cocktail, originally made for Campari Red Diaries via NoMad Hotel Los Angeles. It shows just how well Campari and mezcal mingle together in the glass.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 13 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 3/4 ounce Campari
• 3/4 ounce Sombra Mezcal
• 1/2 ounce Cinzano Extra Dry Vermouth infused with coffee*
• 1/2 ounce Cinzano Bianco Vermouth
• 2 dashes Absinthe

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice, stir, and strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube.
2. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.

*Coffee-infused vermouth: Macerate 5 ounces of coarsely ground coffee in 750 ml of vermouth for 10 minutes. Strain and refrigerate.

Bacardí Blackberry Bramble Recipe

What is it about a bramble that has us so excited for spring? This one from Chilled Magazine tastes like a sophisticated stroll through your favorite berry patch.

Prep Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 3 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 2 parts Bacardí Superior
• 1 part lemon juice
• 1/2 part simple syrup
• 1/2 part Crème de Mure

Method

1. Shake the first three ingredients vigorously with plenty of ice, strain into a glass, and drizzle Crème de Mure on top.
2. Garnish with basil and blackberry skewer.

Blade and Bow “New” Fashioned Recipe

A spin on the Old Fashioned, this drink created by Blade and Bow will have you stocking your home bar with more elderflower liqueur.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 ounces Blade and Bow Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• 3/4 ounce elderflower liqueur
• Splash of soda
• Two orange slices
• Cocktail cherry

Method

1. Muddle one orange slice (without its rind) with simple syrup in a glass.
2. Add ice, whiskey, and elderflower liqueur.
3. Stir (don’t shake) and top with soda.
4. Garnish with a second orange slice and cocktail cherry.

Fresh Perspective Recipe

Grassy, refreshing, fruity, and balanced, this one has everything you could ask for and more. The cocktail recipe comes courtesy of Hendrick’s ambassador Mattias Horseman.

Prep Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 3 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 2 parts Hendrick’s Gin
• 5 parts cucumber, kale, mint, and apple juice
• .75 parts lemon juice
• 1 part aloe juice
• Rinse of malic acid

Method

1. Shake and double strain.
2. Garnish with fresh mini veggies and bay leaf hydrosol.

Rhubarb-Arita Recipe

Created by Montelupo in Portland, this drink is as advertised, a lovely fusion of tequila and rhubarb. It takes a little longer to prep, but the wait is well worth it.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Altos Blanco Tequila
• 1 1/2 ounces rhubarb simple syrup*
• 1 ounce lime juice
• 1 ounce water

Method

1. Mix all ingredients in a cocktail glass and serve over ice.

*Rhubarb simple syrup: Add 1 cup chopped rhubarb, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a sauce pan. Bring to boil, lower heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain liquid using a fine-mesh strainer, and chill syrup before using.

Harper Spring Thyme Recipe

Featured in Veranda, there’s just no arguing with the harmony achieved via peach, citrus, and a good bourbon.

Prep Time: 3o minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces I.W. Harper Bourbon
• 1/2 ounce peach liqueur
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 ounce lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce thyme syrup*
• 12 thyme sprigs
• Club soda (to top off)

Method

1. Combine all ingredients (except club soda) into a shaker tin, shake, and double-strain into an ice-filled highball glass.
2. Top with club soda.

*Thyme syrup: Boil water in a saucepan, add thyme and sugar, stirring until dissolved. Take off heat and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Fine-strain into an airtight container (it can last up to a week, refrigerated).

Noilly Prat Original Dry Le Sud Recipe

They don’t get much simpler than this recipe by Noilly Prat, and we mean that in a good way. Sometimes, all you really need is good vermouth.

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 2 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 ounces Noilly Prat Original Dry
• Chilled sparkling water
• Frozen green grapes
• Large ice cubes/spheres

Method

1. Stack ice to the top of the glass.
2. Pour Noilly Prat Original Dry over ice and top with sparkling water.
3. Garnish with frozen green grapes.

Maid in Scotland Recipe

Devised by mixologist Eric Ribeiro, this Scotch-based number lassoes the spring flavors of cucumber and fresh mint.

Prep Time: 4 minutes
Total Time: 4 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces Singleton 12-Year
• 3/4 ounce lime juice
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup
• 3 slices of cucumber
• 3 to 4 mint leaves

Method

1. Add all ingredients into a shaker, gently muddle the cucumber and mint.
2. Add ice and shake until chilled.
3. Strain into a rocks glass and garnish with cucumber and mint.

Pomegranate Spring Fever Recipe

Here, vodka is elevated thanks to the bold additions of both pomegranate and blood orange. This recipe is featured in Hombre.

Prep Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 3 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces Cîroc Vodka
• 3/4 ounce lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce pomegranate syrup
• 1/2 ounce blood orange syrup
• 2 dashes of aromatic bitters

Method

1. Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Pour into a coupe glass and garnish with manicured lemon swath.

Veracruz Smash Recipe

Herbal notes and a hint of honeycomb and vanilla round out the tequila nicely in the Veracruz Smash. This recipe is made courtesy of Cocktail Builder.

Prep Time: 4 minutes
Total Time: 4 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces tequila blanco
• 1 ounce Galliano L’Autentico
• 5 mint leaves
• 3 lemon wedges
• 1 sugar cube

Method

1. Muddle the fruit and sugar, add all ingredients, shake, and fine strain into a filled crushed ice glass.
2. Garnish with mint sprig and lemon wedge.

Buchanan’s Spring Fling Julep Recipe

Melon, whiskey, mint. You don’t need much more than that for perfection in a spring cocktail — all thanks to Spirited Zine’s recipe.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces Buchanan’s Special Reserve
• 1 1/2 ounces cantaloupe juice
• 1/2  cup cantaloupe melon chunks blended until smooth, then strained (yields about 4 ounces of juice)
• 1 sugar cube
• 8 mint leaves + 2 sprigs for garnish
• Melon balls for garnish
• Crushed ice

Method

1. Muddle mint and then add 1/2 ounce cantaloupe juice and sugar in the bottom of your cup.
2. Add ice halfway up your cup, then add 1 oz whisky and another 1/2 ounce cantaloupe juice and stir until cup is chilled.
3. Fill cup to overflowing with ice, and drizzle the remainder of the whisky, then cantaloupe juice over the top.
4. Garnish with mint sprigs and melon balls.

Velvet Fire Recipe

The cinnamon whiskey in this drink will have you thinking about spring break but the end result is decidedly more grown-up and quite enjoyable. This recipe was concocted in collaboration with Disaronno Velvet and Jack Daniel’s.

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 2 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Disaronno Velvet
• 1 ounce Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire

Method

1. Pour all ingredients into a shaker with ice.
2. Shake and strain into a rocks glass with ice.

Scofflaw Recipe

Grenadine can really light up the right drink and this Scofflaw recipe by Wild Turkey is a perfect example.

Prep Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 3 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Wild Turkey Bourbon
  
• 3/4 ounce dry vermouth
• 3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce grenadine
• Orange bitters

Method

1. Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.
2. Shake, and strain into coupe glass.
3. Garnish with orange peel.

Nectarine Mojito Recipe

Created by Heimat’s own Ute Londrigan, this rum drink is fruity, effervescent, and deeply satisfying. It’s a standup character in the broad family of Mojito drinks.

Prep Time: 4 minutes
Total Time: 4 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Heimat New York Nectarine (alternatively rhubarb)
• 2 ounces white rum
• 6 ounces chilled soda water
• 6 mint leaves
• 1/2 lime, sliced into wedges

Method

1. Add the mint and lime wedges to the bottom of a lowball glass.
2. Muddle together.
3. Add the nectarine liqueur and rum and stir for a few seconds.
4. Top with soda water.

Editors' Recommendations

• The easiest and best pickled red onion recipe we’ve ever seen belongs to Rick Bayless
• The do’s and don’ts of batching cocktails at home
• This frozen strawberry rhubarb cocktail is the perfect summer drink
• Here’s why you should be grilling your summer cocktails
• These 4th of July vodka drink recipes from Tina’s Vodka are just plain great