Sip on sunshine with these refreshing spring cocktails! These drinks are bursting with seasonal flavors like citrus, herbs, and floral notes.
Once the days start getting longer and the sunshine returns, it’s time to embrace the energy of the season! As two certified mixologists and home cocktail experts, we love celebrating each season with new food and drinks. So out with the cozy, spiced winter drinks: here is our top list of spring cocktails!
These spring drinks make the most of seasonal flavors with a focus on ingredients like citrus, herbs, and flowers including lemon, mint, lavender, elderflower and strawberry. They feature spirits like gin, vodka, and mixers like bubbly Prosecco, versus winter and fall spirits like bourbon and dark rum. It’s an explosion of flavor, life and color with these drinks: and we can’t wait for you to try them all!
And now, 20 spring cocktails to try!
If you love berries and you love sangria…then you must drop everything and make this now. Presenting…the perfect Strawberry Sangria! Many American-style sangria recipes are just glorified fruit juice. But this one is Spanish style, full of nuance and character. The berries sing and the dry rosé notes peak through just enough.
Here’s a fun spring cocktail to celebrate the return of pollinators: the Bee’s Knees! It’s got a cute 1920’s name and a smooth flavor to match. The sweetener here is honey syrup, and making simple syrup with honey instead of refined sugar adds a rich depth. Combine it with lemon and gin, and you’ve got a refreshing cocktail that goes down easy.
This spring cocktail features an early herb of the season: mint! The refreshing Gin Gin Mule is a modern classic cocktail, it’s a mashup of the Moscow mule and minty Mojito. You’ve got the bubbly ginger beer and lime of a mule, balanced by the muddled mint and sweetness of a mojito.
Here’s an herbal, sweet tart cocktail that’s a new favorite around here: the Lavender Collins! It’s a spin on the classic Tom Collins starring this fresh herb. And wow, is it full of flavor! It’s sweet tart, zing and bubbly, with a subtle floral finish to each sip. It’s got just the right essence of lavender that leaves you wanting more.
Spring makes us think of flowers, which is where this elderflower liqueur-based drink comes in! The St. Germain Spritz is floral and bubbly, full of lightly sweet flavor and effervescence. There are lots of classic spritz cocktails, from the renowned Aperol Spritz to the bitter Campari Spritz. This one is a fun spin on the classic that’s delightfully springy.
The light pink color of this drink makes it feel perfect for spring! Cousin of the margarita, the Paloma is a classic Mexican cocktail that features tequila with grapefruit instead of lime. Switching up the citrus makes for a simple sour that’s sweet tart and refreshing.
This cocktail might be the literal definition of refreshing. If you love bubbly spritzes, run don’t walk to try the Hugo cocktail! This Italian cocktail is a spin-off on the Aperol spritz and even better, in our opinion. It’s made with delicate floral St Germain elderflower liqueur and bubbly Prosecco, which compliment each other perfectly.
Here’s another minty cocktail pairing the herb with bright citrus: try the Southside! It’s minty, fresh, and botanical, made with lemon, lime, and gin. It’s sweetened just enough: crisp, cool and refreshing. It’s perfect for sipping on a cocktail night with friends, or an afternoon cocktail on the patio.
Here’s a light, bubbly classic cocktail that’s flown under the radar for too long: the Floradora! This beautifully pink drink was inspired by a Broadway show by the same name and dates back to the early 1900’s. It’s a total gem of a drink: raspberry syrup pairs beautifully with lime, gin, and the spicy kick of ginger beer! The pastel color is perfect for spring.
This zingy martini is perfectly balanced and refreshingly tart, served with a sugar rim and a lemon twist. It looks so festive that it’s great for celebrations of all kinds. Whatever the spring occasion: this drink delivers! When we first tried it, we were surprised by its cool, clean flavor and the sophisticated vibe.
This tall classic highball drink is perfect for spring with its zingy lemon flavor, a sweet and sour drink made with gin. A cousin of the Gin Fizz, it’s refreshing and bubbly, loaded with ice in a highball glass. Top with a cocktail cherry and it’s one of the most sought-after cocktails out there.
Strawberries are seasonal in spring, and what better way to celebrate the flavors than a Mojito? We’re huge fans of the classic rum drink: in fact, it ranks in our top greatest cocktails of all time. Adding the sweet tart flavor of ripe strawberries only improves this classic.
This sangria made with rosé wine is so light and refreshing, so filled with fruity, delicate flavor, that it’s jumped to the top of our favorites list. It’s perfect for spring entertaining, be it a lazy afternoon or a dinner party drink. This one has a delicate, nuanced flavor that’s just sweet enough and will leave you wanting more.
The gin fizz is a hit in any season, and since its zingy, bright, and lemony, we think it’s especially perfect for spring! This classic cocktail from the 1870’s is perfectly balanced, both sweet and tart with a pop of lemon and a botanical finish. Add to that a frothy egg white foam topping, which adds a creamy texture to each sip.
Try this bubbly and fruity Vodka Spritzer in spring! It’s just sweet enough with a subtle berry flavor: tangy, refreshing and sparkling all at once. That’s cranberry juice that makes the brilliant red color, but it’s 100% juice so it’s tart and crisp instead of saccharine.
What’s more refreshing and carefree for spring than a gin and tonic? Its crisp, botanical flavor is straightforward but at the same time intriguing: a feat using only 2 ingredients! It’s no wonder that this is one of the world’s popular cocktails.
Try this tasty and refreshing spin on the classic margarita for spring: a Strawberry Margarita! This one is frosty and fruity, full of berry flavor but perfectly complimented with tangy lime and the bite of tequila. It’s got a bright color and zingy flavor to match.
The delicate pink of this French martini makes it a perfect spring cocktail! The flavor is fruity and balanced, featuring a fancy French black raspberry liqueur and pineapple juice. Each sip is so intriguing and nuanced, it’s hard to put the glass down!
Here’s a simple cocktail that’s bubbly, zingy and perfect for spring: Ranch Water! This tequila highball is made with lime juice and sparkling Topo Chico. It’s like a bubbly, lighter spin on the classic margarita, with all the tangy citrus but less sweetness and booze.
Last up in our spring cocktail recipes, try the New York Sour! This colorful spin on the whiskey sour takes the classic up a notch. First you have the whiskey sour layer: lemony tart and balanced. Float a layer of red wine over the top and it adds complexity and a fruity acidity, not to mention a stunning vibrant color contrast.
More spring drinks
Want more spring drinks? I was reminded by Difford’s Guide that spring is the perfect time to use creme de violette if you have it onhand for the classic Aviation! There are also non-alcoholic ideas like lemonades, and it’s fun to whip up a bubbly spritz or two. Here are a few more fun ideas to try:
Description
Strawberry sangria is a fun fruity drink: the perfect spring cocktail! It’s sweet and bubbly, full of berry flavor and rosé wine.
- 4 cups whole fresh strawberries
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 bottle dry rosé wine, chilled
- ½ cup triple sec, Cointreau or Grand Marnier
- 1 handful mint leaves
- 1 orange, sliced into rounds
- 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
- Soda water, for serving (optional)
- For the garnish: Fresh mint, cocktail skewers
- Reserve 6 strawberries and set aside. Slice the remaining strawberries and place them in a blender. Sprinkle them with the sugar and stir.
- Let the strawberries stand for 20 minutes at room temperature. Then add ½ cup of the wine to the blender and blend until strawberries are fully pureed. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer / sieve into a large pitcher and use a spatula to press the strawberry puree through. Discard the seeds.
- Add the remaining wine and Grand Marnier to the pitcher. Then add the fresh mint, orange and lemon rounds. Slice the 6 reserved strawberries and add them to pitcher.
- Stir and refrigerate the pitcher for at least 1 hour, or up to 4 hours. (Don’t go beyond 4 hours or the fruit texture starts to degrade.)
- To serve, pour the sangria into ice-filled glasses and top with a splash of soda water (if desired). Add fruit to each glass, preferably on long skewers for easy snacking.