Skip to main content

Here’s what bars are serving for spring cocktails this year

These are the drinks that the professionals are serving up this season

Bartender adding orange zest juice to a Gin Fizz cocktail in the glass on the bar counter
Maksym Fesenko / Shutterstock

A new season means time for new drinks, and with the arrival of spring we’re looking to spritzes and fresh fruits in our drinks. If you’re looking for a little inspiration from the professionals for your home bartending, then we’ve got tips on drinks from zingy pineapple creations to sharp ginger concoctions for you to try out.

El Viaje de Kalani

Canopy by Hilton Cancun La Isla

Available at: Canopy by Hilton Cancun La Isla

Created by: Andrei Cocom, Bar Supervisor

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ Grilled Pineapple Puree
  • 1 ½ Charanda
  • 1 oz Kalani (coconut liquor)
  • 1 oz Spice Syrup (cloves, cardamom and cinnamon)
  • 1 Drop of chocolate bitter

Glassware: Rocks glass

Garnish: Dehydrated lime wheel

Method:

Recommended Videos

Combine the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until well integrated. Pour into glass, garnish with dehydrated lime wheel.

Como Spritz

Good Guy’s

Available at: Good Guy’s

Created by: Sam Ross & Michael McIlroy, Co-Owners of Good Guy’s

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz Cynar Amaro
  • .75 oz Passionfruit syrup*
  • .25 oz Fresh lemon juice
  • 3 oz Prosecco

Glassware: Bodega Glass

Garnish: Orange slice

Method:

Add Cynar, passionfruit and lemon to a bodega glass. Add 1 oz Prosecco, fill with ice, and top with remaining Prosecco. Gently stir and garnish with an orange slice.

*Passionfruit Syrup: Combine equal parts Boiron passionfruit puree and simple syrup in an immersion blender to combine. This can be done 24 hours in advance.

Ginger Your Swagger

Badger Bevs

Created by: Jillian Vose, Badger Bevs Brand Ambassador

Ingredients:

  • 1 Dash Angostura Bitters
  • 0.75 oz Fresh Lime Juice
  • 0.75 oz Tart Cherry Syrup
  • 2 oz Bourbon (Old Forester recommended)
  • Badger Bevs Ginger Beer

Glassware: High-Ball Glass

Garnish: Lime Wedge

Method:

Combine all ingredients, except the ginger beer, in a small shaker tin. Add 10 pieces of pebble ice or 1 cracked ice cube, then seal the larger tin on top of the smaller one. Shake vigorously until you can no longer hear the ice in the tin. Pour the cocktail into a hi-ball glass over fresh cubed ice. Top with Badger Bevs Ginger Beer. Lightly stir and garnish.

Le Moné Spritz

Le Moné

Created by: Le Moné Team

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz or (equal parts) Le Moné
  • 1.5 oz or (equal parts) Prosecco

Glassware: Large wine glass

Garnish: Green grapes and a lemon wedge

Method:

Pour equal parts Le Moné with equal parts Prosecco over ice. Garnish with green grapes and lemon.

Cosmo

Cosmo

Available at: Cosmo

Created by: Jessica Duré, Beverage & FOH Operations Director at South Village Hospitality

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz Grey Goose
  • 0.75 oz house Triple Sec
  • 1 oz Lime
  • 1 oz Cranberry Orange Blossom Spray

Glassware: Nick & Nora

Garnish: Baby’s breath bouquet

Method:

Shake and strain in a Nick & Nora glass and garnish with a baby’s breath bouquet.

White Ferrari

Press Club

Available at: Press Club

Created by: Devin Kennedy, General Manager and Creative Director of Press Club

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz Altos Blanco
  • 1 oz Siete Misterios Doba-ya
  • 0.75 oz Cocchi Americano
  • 1 tsp Ritual Sister smoked pineapple
  • 1 tsp Umeshu Liqueur

Glassware: JJ Rocks

Garnish: Stemmed Edible Flower

Georgina Torbet
Georgina Torbet is a cocktail enthusiast based in Berlin, with an ever-growing gin collection and a love for trying out new…
Pancake cocktails are a thing now, apparently
Lemon Sugar Pancake Cocktail

Today is worth celebrating for several reasons -- not only is it Mardi Gras, but it's also Pancake Day. To my mind it's frankly tragic that the tradition of Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday isn't better known outside of Britain, as I think everyone deserves a day to enjoy this beloved dessert.

There's a new trend hitting the British cocktail scene too, and it involves turning the iconic flavors of pancakes with lemon and sugar into a cocktail. Madness? Perhaps, but delicious all the same. Mixologist Patrick Pistolesi from NIO Cocktails has created two drinks to celebrate this auspicious day, so get the frying pan heated and the batter ready, because it's pancake time.
Lemon & Sugar Pancake Cocktail

Read more
Celebrate Mardi Gras with these colorful cocktails
Get your beads and your masks ready
A large Mardi Gras mask on a balcony railing.

Today is Mardi Gras, the yearly New Orleans tradition that's a great excuse to celebrate and throw a fun party and mix up some special celebratory drinks, no matter where you live. And as one of the biggest markers of Mardi Gras celebrations are bright and joyful colors, like the bright purple Mardi Gras cocktail we shared previously, you should be prepared to get colorful with your creations.  But purple isn't the only option for fun and colorful carnival drinks, as we've also got two more rum cocktails for you to try.

These cocktails use rum straight from Louisiana, from the brand Oxbow Rum Distillery, including a twist on the classic daiquiri which uses colorful sprinkles for decoration and a banana-infused take on the Manhattan, inspired by New Orleans' beloved Bananas Foster dessert.
Shaken Mardi Gras Daiquiri

Read more
Wine 101: What makes Cabernet Franc so special?
Meet Cabernet Franc, parent to both Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
Glass of wine in front of vineyard

Do yourself a favor and enjoy a bottle of Chinon in early spring, when the hardier trees are budding, but winter’s chill still lingers. I say this from experience: I once sat near the window of a slightly chilly wine bar after the electricity had gone out. The Chinon we ordered was a lighter color than I expected -- not much darker than a pinot noir -- but its taste was unique: red berries, bell pepper, and a tannic acidity so zesty it positively danced on my tongue. I’ve had wines that were elegant, even sassy, but this one was alive. I attribute this fact to two reasons -- a good producer and the wine’s sole varietal: the versatile black grape known as Cabernet Franc, co-parent to the wildly popular Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot varietals. Red wines made from this grape can be as fresh as a Beaujolais or deep as a Bordeaux. It’s also used to make rosé and ice wines. 

The town of Chinon is located in the central Loire Valley and focuses on producing red wine made from Cabernet Franc. It’s been this way for a long time -- possibly since the 12th century, when the town's wines were served in the Plantagenet courts. In time, Cabernet Franc made its way to Bordeaux, where it became parent to both of that region’s mainstays, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as well as being a major player in certain red wines from Sainte Émilion. Now, Cabernet Franc can be found all over the world, either featured as a sole varietal or a dependable blending agent. 
Cabernet Franc: color, aroma, and flavor

Read more