Recipe Roundup

31 Spring Cocktails for Warmer Days Ahead

Gin-basil smash, Hugo spritz, cucumber margarita, and more refreshing spring drinks to sip on your patio.
By Kelly Vaughan
A chartreusecolored cocktail in a coupe garnished with a lime wheel and an orchid.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson

Our best spring cocktail recipes are fresh and inviting, like opening up the windows on that first warm April day. The perfect spring cocktail should check a few boxes: It should taste great outdoors, highlight seasonal produce like rhubarb and fresh herbs, be flavorful—and preferably a little fizzy.

There’s plenty of room for classics like the Mint Julep, which is all but mandatory for drinking in May, a minty Southside, and a pretty-in-purple Aviation. Beyond these, you’ll find a delightful riff on a Cosmopolitan that’s bright and bubbly, as well as an equally sparkling twist on a Pimm’s Cup. There are also plenty of lower-ABV cocktails that still offer layers of flavor in a lighter format that’s perfect for casual al fresco gatherings. As soon as daylight saving time hits and the temperatures steadily climb, shake or stir up one of these essential spring cocktails.

  • A glass of Aperol spritz with orange slices.
    Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
    1/31

    Extra-Refreshing Aperol Spritz

    Reducing the usual Aperol pour from 2 to 1½ ounces in this classic spring cocktail recipe makes for a drink that’s less sweet and much more balanced.

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  • A tom collins cocktail in a glass with a lemon slice.
    Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
    2/31

    Tom Collins Cocktail

    This sunny drink is essentially a sparkling gin lemonade. Using club soda—which contains a small amount of salt—makes the flavors pop, but chilled sparkling water also works fine.

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  • Two mint julep cocktails shown in silver julep cups with mint garnish and crushed ice.
    Photo by Paul H. Christian, Food Styling by Michele Figliuolo
    3/31

    Mint Julep

    Whether or not you don a big hat and watch the races, I highly recommend fitting a julep into your spring cocktail rotation. It’s a classic, simple concoction—though this version gets a boost in flavor from an easy mint-infused simple syrup.

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  • A last word cocktail in a coupe glass on a table.
    Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele
    4/31

    Last Word

    Even if you’re not good at math, you can easily shake up this timeless drink, which is made with gin, fresh lime juice, green chartreuse, and Luxardo maraschino liqueur. That’s because it’s made with equal parts of all four ingredients, creating an herbal and refreshingly tart sip.

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  • Photo of Gin Rickey Cocktails
    Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    5/31

    Gin Rickey

    There is no sweetener in a classic gin rickey, which makes it taste especially cooling, like the original hard seltzer.

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  • Photo of three Paper Plane cocktails in coupes on linen with a small bowl of unshelled pistachios on the side.
    Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    6/31

    Paper Plane

    If you’re into amari and you like citrusy drinks, you’ll love the Paper Plane, a deeply flavorful, orangey-herbal-rhubarby delight. It’s more robust than a spritz, but not as bold as some other bourbon-based drinks, making it perfect for sipping during spring.

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  • Photo of Aviation Cocktails.
    Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton. Glassware by Riedel.
    7/31

    Aviation

    This violet-tinged classic—made with gin, lemon, maraschino, and crème de violette—first appeared in print in 1916. With its vibrant hue and floral notes, it’s the ultimate spring garden party cocktail.

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  • Photo of three tall cocktails from Nopalito in San Francisco
    Photo by Eva Kolenko
    8/31

    Killer Bee

    This version of the classic honey-sweetened Bee’s Knees uses earthy mezcal instead of gin. It’s the perfect pairing for those long-awaited warm weather meals.

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  • Old Cuban sparkling rum cocktail in a coupe glass with mint garnish
    Photo by Andy Sewell
    9/31

    Old Cuban

    There’s nothing new about this classic cocktail, which is a sparkly hybrid of a French 75 and a mojito. On warmer days, it hits all the right notes.

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  • Photo of pink ros cocktail in a rocks glass being held by a hand with nail polish and a bracelet.
    Photo by Nicole Franzen
    10/31

    Rosé All Day

    When you want to drink rosé but you also want a cocktail, make this easy concoction. Muddled strawberries add fruity flavor, and Aperol a citrusy punch, but fresh lemon keeps things from getting too sweet.

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  • Three paloma cocktails garnished with grapefruit slices.
    Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert
    13/31

    The Ultimate Paloma

    This spritzy tequila cocktail bridges the gap between winter and spring perfectly. Traditionally a mix of spirit and grapefruit soda, ours has a splash of fresh juice for a brighter-tasting sip.

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  • Two clover club cocktails made with raspberry syrup gin and egg white in coup glasses.
    Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert
    14/31

    Clover Club

    Fresh raspberry syrup gives this gin-and-vermouth sour its striking hue. Use the leftover syrup to make a fruity pink lemonade or a mezcal-laced Red Headed Saint.

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  • Photo of pink Cosmonaut cocktail in a coupe glass.
    Photo by Colin Price
    15/31

    Cosmonaut

    Inspired by an old-school Cosmopolitan, this pale pink stunner hits some of the same notes. Instead of the usual vodka–cranberry combo, shake up a trio of herbal gin, lemon juice, and raspberry preserves.

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  • a strawberry ginger ale and bourbon cocktail in a Collins glass with ice garnished with a strawberry
    Photo by Andy Sewell
    16/31

    Kentucky Buck

    A whiskey drink, but make it spring. Strawberries shine in this refreshing, gingery cocktail, made with fresh lemon, muddled berries, and spicy ginger beer.

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  • Image may contain Outdoors Nature Ice Drink Cocktail Alcohol Beverage and Plant
    Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova
    17/31

    Spiked Rose Lemonade

    Delicate rose water and tart lemonade are a refreshing combination, but the pretty pink drink is even better if you freeze red berries and edible rose petals into the ice cubes. How’s that for springtime sipping?

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  • Two cocktail glasses filled with St. Germain mint leaves lime wedges ice and topped with selzter.
    Photo by Travis Rainey, Prop styling by Christine Keely, Food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    18/31

    Hugo Spritz

    Welcome spring with open arms—and a spritzy cocktail in hand. With fragrant mint, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, zesty lime, and plenty of bubbles, it’s basically the poster child for the season.

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  • Photo of two sherry cobblers in tall glasses with crushed ice or pebbled ice and metal straws.
    Photo by Ed Anderson
    19/31

    Sherry Cobbler

    Start by muddling a couple of citrus wheels with sugar syrup, then add a long pour of sherry and strain over crushed ice. Then garnish with any seasonal ingredients you please, like berries, herb sprigs, or a cucumber spear.

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  • Two Aperol and apricot cocktails in wine glasses.
    Photo by Eric Medsker
    20/31

    Apercot Spritz

    Apricot nectar (sweetened juice) adds a floral, fruity blush to this riff on the classic spritz. If you have a bunch of fresh fruit on hand, you can make your own by swapping apricots for the peach purée in this Bellini recipe.

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  • Two glasses of Peychaud's bitters lemon juice simple syrup strawberries grapefruit oranges San Pellegrino Sanbittèr and...
    Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
    21/31

    Gunshop Fizz

    Muddled citrus peels, cucumber, and strawberries form the base of this drink, which uses a full 2 ounces of anise-y Peychaud’s bitters. Bitter Italian orange soda rounds it out.

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  • Campari spritz cocktail
    Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    22/31

    Campari Spritz

    Sure, you can use Campari in your standard Aperol spritz formula, but this is a fun variation. The inclusion of rosé and lemon soda adds a citrusy punch.

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  • Image may contain Human Person Drink Cocktail Alcohol Beverage and Lemonade
    Photo by Peden & Munk
    23/31

    Rhubarb-Fennel Gin Cocktail

    Use rhubarb in two ways to make this garden-inspired cocktail. This perfectly pink drink gets its sweetness from a homemade rhubarb syrup and is topped with curled rhubarb.

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  • A chartreusecolored cocktail in a coupe garnished with a lime wheel and an orchid.
    Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
    24/31

    Gin Rocket

    Arugula isn’t just for salads! Muddling the peppery greens alongside some fennel fronds gives this drink a fresh-from-the-garden flavor.

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  • Image of celery mezcal cocktail with a lemon wheel.
    Photo by Kelly Puleio
    27/31

    Infinity Pool

    Throw chopped celery stalks into a juicer (or blender) for a refreshing cocktail base. The vegetal flavor is mellowed by citrusy Lillet blanc and lemon juice, while its savory side is supported with mezcal and a pinch of smoked salt.

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  • Photo of Electron mezcal cocktail orange from carrot juice
    Photo by Emma Janzen
    28/31

    Electron

    Imagine grill-charred carrots seasoned with floral cardamom and finished with a squeeze of lime. Now add mezcal, and you’ve got the gist.

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  • Two glasses of Cucumber Gin Cocktail on a marble countertop.
    Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    29/31

    Cucumber Gin Cocktail

    Spring cocktails should be easy to make and easy to drink. But that doesn’t mean they’ll lack flavor. This pretty gin drink starts with muddled cucumber, lime leaves, and citrus, then is topped off with club soda.

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  • Image may contain Drink Juice Beverage Soda Lipstick and Cosmetics
    Photo by Chelsea Kyle
    30/31

    The Shrubarb Cocktail

    Make a tangy, ginger-spiced rhubarb shrub, then add it to a mix of gin and lime juice for a drink that highlights the very best of the season.

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  • Gin cocktail with basil and lemon in three glass tumblers with muddler and lemon wedges.
    Photo by Jason Varney
    31/31

    Gin Basil Smash

    This easy, interactive spring cocktail turns everyone into a mixologist. Don’t stop at basil; set out whatever fresh herbs and gins you’ve got, and let friends muddle their way through an array of flavors.

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Kelly Vaughan is a freelance food writer, editor, and recipe developer based in Connecticut. Most recently, she was the recipe editor of TODAY.com where she managed digital recipe development and sponsored food franchises. She was previously a staff editor and writer at Food52 and Martha Stewart Living. Her writing has ... Read More
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