5 Bright and Light Spring Cocktails to Celebrate the Season
One delicious way to enjoy the change of the season comes by way of bright and light spring cocktails. Fresh fruit, blooming florals, and earthy herbs are the backbone of good craft cocktails! That’s why spring is a great time to use those fresh seasonal ingredients for beverages. What sounds more relaxing than a sunny spring afternoon with a tasty and refreshing cocktail in hand!? These drinks reflect a change in season and spring produce. It’s easy to get creative with the foods and flavors available in the Pacific Northwest, like jam, elderberries, and local honey! These cocktails are super quick to mix up and a welcome addition to any brunch or al fresco dining experience.
Quick & Easy Spring Cocktails
There are so many occasions to enjoy spring cocktails. Equipped with basic recipes and quality ingredients, you can be prepared to mix up fun and refreshing cocktails on a whim! Try these spring cocktails for a Sunday brunch, an afternoon of leisure on the back deck, or a dinner party with close friends or family.
If you’re not one to mix up your own cocktail, Tacoma Boys offers a wide selection of pre-mixed cocktails and other libations. Along with beer and wine, you can also find hard cider, seltzers, kombucha, and more:
- Rancho la Gloria Margarita Wine Cocktail in strawberry and traditional lime
- Hoxie Dry Wine Spritzer in peach blossom rose and grapefruit elderflower
- Stonewall Kitchen Sriracha Bloody Mary Mixer
- Jose Cuervo Strawberry Margarita Mix
- Stirrings Simple Mojito Mix
Tacoma Boy’s Favorite Spring Cocktail Recipes
These spring cocktail recipes take into account the new season with extra outdoor time and seasonal Washington ingredients. Using a mix of common barside staples and fresh fruit and herbs, you can perfect a number of spring cocktails. And thanks to Tacoma Boys selection of speciality food products, deluxe ingredients like rose water and pure fruit juices are easy to acquire.
Rosemary Gin and Jam Fizz
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 oz gin
- Fresh lemon juice – about 1 oz
- 1 tbsp Nature’s Hollow Strawberry Jam \
- Sparkling water to top
Add the gin and rosemary to a cocktail shaker and muddle well (check out some tips for good muddling here!). Add the lemon juice, strawberry jam, and ice. Shake well, for about one minute, then strain into a glass filled with ice. Top with sparkling water and garnish with another spring of rosemary and a strawberry, if desired.
Make it a mocktail: Nix the gin and muddle the rosemary with the lemon juice instead. Shake with the strawberry jam and a dash of water and strain into a glass filled with ice. Top with extra sparkling water.
Lemon Ginger White Tea
- 1 oz white rum
- 2 oz Bigelow White Tea, brewed and chilled
- ½ oz Volcano Lemon Ginger Burst Juice
- ½ oz Spring Valley Honey
Combine and shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a serving glass. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
Make it a mocktail: Simply forgo the white rum and enjoy!
Blended Basil Berry Margarita
- ½ cup frozen Remlinger Farms Handpicked Berry Medley
- 5 basil leaves
- 2 oz tequila
- ½ oz triple sec
- 1 oz lime juice
- 2 tsp Wholesome Organic Raw Blue Agave
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a serving glass and garnish with fresh or frozen berries and basil leaves on top.
Make it a mocktail: Instead of tequila and triple sec, add a splash of orange juice to the blender.
Grapefruit Rose Cocktail
- 2 oz vodka
- 1 ½ oz R.W. Knudsen Organic Grapefruit Juice
- ½ oz Cortas Rose Water
- ½ oz simple syrup
- 2 dashes bitters
Combine and shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with a grapefruit wheel.
Make it a mocktail: Instead of vodka, bump up the rose water to 1 ounce and the grapefruit juice to 2 ounces. Combine in a cocktail shaker and strain. Top with sparkling water.
Washington’s Elderberry Apple Whiskey
- 2 oz whiskey
- 2 oz pure apple juice
- 1 oz sour apple liqueur (schnapps)
- ½ oz Sylling’s Elderberry Syrup
Combine and shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a serving glass. If desired, garnish with an apple slice or wheel.
Make it a mocktail: Swap out the whiskey for a dash of extra apple juice. Instead of sour apple liqueur, use ½ oz sour apple flavored syrup.
Cocktails Made With Seasonal Produce
Living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, it’s not complicated to use local and seasonal produce to make your food and drink. You can craft delicious cocktails made with seasonal produce that will taste as fresh as the ingredients you use! It’s a good way to stay centered with nature and make use of readily available resources. And at Tacoma Boys, you’re sure to find the freshest local, seasonal produce.
For an overview on what’s coming into season in the Pacific Northwest and the benefits of eating seasonally, check out this guide by Simplicity Nutrition. Along with plenty of greens, several varieties of fruit and herbs are in season in the spring. For other food products, look to shop locally. Tacoma Boys offers a wide selection of locally made honeys, syrups, beverages, and more.
Swing on by!
Stop by to get the supplies you need to start celebrating spring with delicious cocktails! If you’re looking for a specialty product, just ask and one of our guides will be happy to help. And to stay up to date on insider deals and specials, sign up for Tacoma Boys’ text list. Just text (253) 246-1661 to tell Paul you want to be on the list!
