Spring 2017 Cocktail Trends & Recipes Created by TOP Bartenders

Spring is the season that exudes elegance and is often coined as the season of awakening. What better way to toast to the departure of the cold season than tasty tipples? Trends in cocktail culture have become a quintessential part of celebrating a new season. Spring 2017 is forecasting decadent rum concoctions and introducing aperitifs as the new happy hour with low ABV cocktails, celebrating the beginning of the night ahead.

Check out 9 fantastic spring-inspired recipes to celebrate this year’s trends, all crafted by some of the nation’s top bartenders, including Naren Young (Dante, NYC), Ivy Mix (Leyenda, Brooklyn NY), Dan Sabo (ACE Hotel, LA) , Nico de Soto (Mace, NYC), Leo Robitschek (Eleven Madison Park, NYC), Greg Best (Ticonderoga Club, Atlanta), and Franky Marshall (Le Boudoir, Brooklyn NY).

Each of the recipes can also be found in St-Germain’s first-ever coffee table cocktail book, How to Drink French Fluently.

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RUM IS THE NEW TEQUILA
Spring 2016 was centered around craft margaritas and specialty tequila sunrises, but bartenders have predicted decadent rum craft cocktails for the warm spring season that’s just around the corner. Originating during Prohibition – when rum-runners were smuggling Caribbean rum to U.S. speakeasies – the spirit received the reputation of a tawdry, cheap spirit. It later transitioned to a spring break type spirit due to rum-soaked summer parties. Since then, the accolade for both “Tiki” cocktails and brown/craft spirits have grown respect, and so has the popularity of first-rate, sophisticated rums in both the Caribbean and in the U.S.A. A spirit known for its various tasting notes, these innovative libations will elevate any gathering, and highlight rum’s versatile flavor profile just in time for the spring season.

Surf City Spritz
Created by Dan Sabo (ACE Hotel in Los Angeles)

1 ounce American gin
¾ ounce St-Germain French elderflower liqueur
½ ounce pineapple rum
½ ounce Cocchi Americano
¼ ounce honey syrup (2:1, honey:water)
1 ounce coconut water
2 ounces soda water
Glass Garnish Dehydrated pineapple chip or fresh
pineapple slice
Method Stir all of the ingredients except the
club soda in a wine glass with ice. Top with club
soda

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A Scented Stretch
Created by Greg Best (Ticonderoga Club in Atlanta)

1 ounce Holland style white rum
¾ ounce strained lemon juice
½ ounce St-Germain French elderflower liqueur
½ ounce crisp white wine, preferably grüner veltliner or Sancerre
¼ ounce honey syrup (3:1, honey:water)
1 ounce soda water
Glass Garnish Pinch of flaky salt, such as Maldon,
lemon wheel, small sprig of Thai basil
Method Combine all of the ingredients except
the soda water in a Collins glass over crushed
ice. Add the soda water and stir gently. Garnish
with the salt, lemon wheel, and Thai basil.

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Voodoo Down

Created by Leo Robitschek (Eleven Madison Park in New York)

2 dashes orange bitters

¼ ounce ginger syrup (1:1, ginger juice:turbinado sugar)

¼ ounce honey syrup (2:1, clover honey:water)

¾ ounce lemon juice

½ ounce St-Germain French elderflower liqueur

½ ounce Trinidadian rum

1 ounce bourbon, preferably Elijah Craig 12-year

Method Shake all the ingredients with ice.

Strain over ice into a double rocks glass.

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APERITIF HOUR
Also known as the ‘French happy hour’, the aperitif is meant to be enjoyed in good company and go hand in hand with style and socializing. These light and often effervescent cocktails refresh your palate and embody the feeling of finally experiencing the natural warmth of spring.

Rivington Punch
Created by Natasha David (Nitecap in New York)

2 ounces dry rosé wine
½ ounce St-Germain French elderflower liqueur
1½ ounces Aperol
¼ ounce raspberry liqueur, preferably Combier Framboise
1 ounce soda water
Glass Garnish Strawberry slices and grapefruit
crescent
Method Stir all of the ingredients in a wine
glass over ice. Garnish with strawberry slices
and a grapefruit crescent.

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Lysette
Created by Franky Marshall (Le Boudoir in Brooklyn)

¾ ounce St-Germain French elderflower liqueur
¾ ounce Salers gentian liqueur
1 ounce lager, preferably Kronenbourg 1664
Glass Garnish Grapefruit peel, 2 chrysanthemum
blossoms (or other edible flowers)
Method Combine the St-Germain and
gentian liqueur in an ice-filled stemmed glass
or goblet. Stir briefly. Top with the lager. Stir
once to integrate. Express the grapefruit peel,
then discard. Garnish

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Al Fresco Spritz
Created by Naren Young (Dante in New York)

6 ounces bianco vermouth, preferably Martini & Rossi®
3 ounces St-Germain French elderflower liqueur
2 ounces London dry gin
1 ounce lime juice
Sparkling water, preferably Perrier, to top
Prosecco, to top
2 to 4 cucumber wheels
Glass Garnish 6 green grapes, 3 lime wheels, 3
kiwi wheels, 3 starfruit, 3 green apple slices, 3
cucumber slices
Method Combine the vermouth, St-Germain,
gin, and lime juice in a pitcher over ice and stir.
Top with equal parts Perrier and prosecco. To
serve, place a cucumber wheel in each glass and
pour in the spritz.

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LOW ABV COCKTAILS
The low ABV movement has taken the cocktail world by storm with a marked paradigm shift on cocktail menus far and wide to include lower-proof cocktail choices. When bartenders strip away the strong personality of high-proof spirits, they begin to explore flavor in new ways, making these low ABV tipples perfect for sipping all day with friends and family during the spring season.

The St-Germain Cocktail
Created by Robert Cooper

1½ ounces St-Germain French elderflower liqueur
2 ounces dry sparkling wine
2 ounces soda water
Glass Garnish Lemon twist
Method Combine all of the ingredients in a
Collins glass over ice. Stir gently, and garnish
with a lemon twist.

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Da Hora
Created by Ivy Mix (Leyenda in Brooklyn)

1½ ounces St-Germain French elderflower liqueur
1 ounce cachaça
½ ounce lemon juice
½ ounce grapefruit juice
2 ounces cava, to top
Glass Garnish Cucumber wheel
Method Shake all of the ingredients,
except the cava, with ice. Strain into a
coupe and top with the cava

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Qui Oui?

Created by Nico de Soto (Mace in New York)