Spring is the season of renewal—longer days, warmer breezes, and a sudden urge to swap out heavy, wintery flavors for something fresher, lighter, and infinitely more refreshing. Just as farmers’ markets start overflowing with bright berries, fragrant herbs, and crisp citrus, cocktail menus should follow suit. This is the time for drinks that are as lively as the season itself, built around fresh fruit, botanical spirits, and a welcome splash of effervescence.
Think of it as a cocktail spring cleaning—out go the dense, spice-laden syrups and brooding, barrel-aged-only spirits, and in come floral liqueurs, tart citrus, and the kind of spritzes that practically demand to be enjoyed in the sun. This is when muddled strawberries meet honey-kissed syrups, when basil and mint turn a simple cocktail into an aromatic experience, and when the unmistakable brightness of lemon, lime, and blood orange finds its perfect pairing in tequila, gin, and bourbon alike.
Herbs and florals are the secret weapons of spring mixology. A few fresh basil leaves or an expressed lemon peel can completely transform a drink, adding layers of aroma before the first sip even touches your lips. Lavender, elderflower, and even a whisper of absinthe bring a delicate, garden-inspired elegance to cocktails, making them feel effortlessly sophisticated. Meanwhile, coconut water and sparkling wine lend a crisp, airy quality—proof that not every spring drink has to be shaken within an inch of its life to be interesting.
Even bourbon, often seen as a fall and winter staple, finds new life when paired with spring flavors. Honeyed syrups, ripe fruit, and lighter bitters can take whiskey from fireside sipper to patio companion. And while gin and tequila are already warm-weather staples, their botanical and citrus-forward profiles shine even brighter when paired with seasonal flavors like prickly pear, salted honey, and fresh mint.
If you’re on the hunt for a cocktail to put you in the spring mood, these drinks sourced from brands and mixologists around the country might be the splash of sunshine you’re after.
Prickly Pear Margarita
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz. Casamigos Blanco Tequila
- .75 oz. fresh lemon juice
- .75 oz. prickly pear purée
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- lime wheel garnish
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients into a tin shaker. Add ice, shake vigorously and strain into a small rocks glass. Add fresh ice and garnish.
Enchanted Forest
Created by: Juan Coronado, Co-founder of Mijenta Tequila
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz. Mijenta Tequila Blanco
- 0.5 oz. of Blue Curacao
- 0.5 oz. pineapple juice
- 0.5 oz. lime juice
- 0.5 oz. vanilla horchata
Directions:
Shake, strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with moss, dry ice and micro flowers.
Mary Queen of Spritz
Ingredients:
- 1oz Aberfeldy 12
- 1oz Noilly Prat Dry
- .25oz St Germain
- 2 dashes Peychaud’s
- 2 dashes absinthe
- top M&R Prosecco
Directions:
Build ingredients (with exception of prosecco) in chilled highball glass over ice. Top with prosecco and stir. Garnish with expressed lemon peel.
Strawberry Basil Bourbon Smash
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Four Roses Small Batch
- .75 oz salted strawberry honey syrup
- .75 oz lemon juice
- 3-4 basil leaves
Directions:
Add all ingredients to mixing tin. Add ice. Shake for fifteen seconds or until cocktail is well diluted and properly chilled. Double strain into rocks glass over ice. Garnish.
Strawberry syrup: Combine equal parts destemmed, sliced strawberries to water and two parts honey (½ cup strawberries : ½ cup water : 1 cup honey). Heat in saucepan to a simmer. Let simmer for ten minutes. Remove from heat and add a pinch of salt. Cool to room temperature, strain.
1933 Sunshine
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Remus Straight Bourbon
- 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 tsp. blood orange simple syrup
- 1 dried sliced orange (for garnish)
Directions:
Pour all ingredients into a rocks glass, add a large ice cube, stir to combine, and garnish with a dried sliced orange.
Porn Star Mojito
Available at: Sip & Guzzle
Created by: Steve Schneider, Head Bartender at Guzzle
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz light rum
- .75 oz passion fruit puree
- .75 oz vanilla syrup
- .5 oz lime juice
- 1 pinch mint
Directions:
Add ingredients. Add ice, shake and strain in a tall glass filled with crushed ice. Top with Champagne.
Coastal Tides
Ingredients:
- 2 parts Gray Whale Gin
- 1.5 parts coconut water
- 1 part lavender syrup
- ¾ part fresh lemon juice
Directions:
Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake for 3-4 seconds and strain over fresh ice. Top with lemon wheel.
Como Spritz
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
*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.
Directions:
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.
Cantera Negra Tequila Lime Mojito
Ingredients:
- 2 parts Cantera Negra Silver Tequila
- 1 part freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 part simple syrup
- 2 to 4 parts soda water
- 6 mint leaves, plus additional for garnish
Directions:
In a cocktail shaker, muddle the mint leaves. Add the lime juice, syrup and tequila and fill the cocktail shaker with ice and shake until cold. Place ice into a glass, and strain in the drink. Top off the glass with soda water. Garnish with additional mint leaves.
Bourbon Apple
Ingredients:
- 2 parts Bib & Tucker Double Char Bourbon
- 2 dashes Bar Keep Baked Apple Bitters
- Top with soda water
Directions:
Add Bib & Tucker Double Char Bourbon and bitters into mixing glass. Stir until cold. Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice and top with soda. Garnish with apple.
Ginger Your Swagger
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
Directions:
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
El Viaje de Kalani
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
Directions:
Combine the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until well integrated. Pour into glass, garnish with dehydrated lime wheel
The key to great spring cocktails isn’t just about swapping ingredients—it’s about balance. A splash of citrus here, a touch of floral sweetness there, a well-placed bitter note to keep everything from becoming cloying. It’s about letting fresh ingredients do the heavy lifting, allowing their natural vibrancy to shine through rather than masking them with excess sugar or overpowering spirits.
This is the season for cocktails that feel as fresh as the air outside, as bright as the produce at the market, and as effortlessly enjoyable as a sunny afternoon. Whether it’s a simple highball, a herbaceous spritz, or a fruit-forward smash, the best spring drinks don’t just taste good—they taste like the season itself.