Take lychee and orange, grapefruit and lime
With raspberry, jasmine, and juniper vine.
Now spring is in bloom on the shrubs and the trees.
What sip should we mix? Why all that you please!
“The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also.” So wrote Harriet Ann Jacobs in 1861, and surely never has a truer word been spoken at this time of year.
But what to serve those bleary-eyed friends whose last backyard barbecue went down with the groundhog?
Here’s a menu of our favorite springtime sips to get the sleepiest of guests back on their feet, sorted according to the appropriate toasting occasion.
A TOAST IN THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT
They say that April showers bring May flowers, so in the calm before the storm, you’ll need something fresh, spicy, and fast out of the gate. May we suggest the Fine Filly, for she improves with every season and is always guaranteed a winner on her first trip out.
A FINE FILLY
1 ½ oz Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur
3 oz ginger beer
½ oz lime
Add Pomp & Whimsy and lime juice into a glass with ice, stir. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with a handful of mint.
A TOAST IN GLORIOUS CELEBRATION
Of course, when one is full of the joys of spring, one must relish in those joys at every given opportunity. So, what better way to exercise our rights to patio than declare every meal to be brunch al fresco? And do we have the perfect cocktail for the occasion. The Modern Spritz: bright, refreshing, and born to be toasted in the open air.
MODERN SPRITZ
1 ½ oz Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur
½ oz grapefruit juice
3 oz sparkling wine
splash of club soda
Pour Pomp & Whimsy and grapefruit juice into a wine glass filled with ice, top with sparkling wine and club soda. Garnish with a grapefruit peel.
A TOAST TO MIRTH AND MERRIMENT
In medical circles, the condition known as Spring Fever is said to be caused by a combination of increasingly late sunsets coupled with increasingly high spirits. The only known remedy is this Lovely Rita cocktail, recommended to be mixed twice weekly, in the company of friends.
LOVELY RITA
1½ oz Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur
1½ oz blanco tequila
1 oz fresh lime juice
½ oz 1:1 simple syrup
Shake ingredients with ice and pour into a glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.