The snow morphing slowly into rain signals the start of spring in the Northwest. As we transition into days filled more with sunshine than snow, here’s a curated selection of six spring-forward drinks.
Gin Gin Mule
1½ ounces Empress 1908 Gin (Sidney, British Columbia)
1 ounce simple syrup
¾ ounce lime juice
1 to 2 ounces ginger beer
6 to 8 mint leaves
Add mint leaves, simple syrup and lime juice to a shaker tin three-quarters filled with ice. Shake for 10 seconds. Double strain into a rocks glass three-quarters filled with crushed ice. Add ginger beer on top, leaving enough room for the gin. Float the Empress 1908 gin on top. Garnish with mint.
Recipe furnished courtesy of Sybaris Bistro (Albany, Oregon).
Headwind Pacific Northwest Sparkler
1½ ounces Headwind Vodka
½ ounce elderflower liqueur, such as St. Germain
½ ounce drained juice from Oregon Specialty Fruits Canned Blueberries
½ ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 to 4 ounces sparkling wine
Blueberries for garnish
In a shaker tin three-quarters filled with ice, combine the first four ingredients. Shake well, then strain into a chilled glass. Place a few blueberries in the bottom of the glass and top with sparkling wine.
Recipe furnished courtesy of Headwind Vodka (Portland, Oregon).
Hibiscus Vibes
2 ounces Distillarium American Brandy
1 ounce fresh-squeezed orange juice
1 ounce hibiscus water (recipe below)
1 ounce strawberry simple syrup (recipe below)
Add all ingredients to a shaker tin three-quarters filled and shake until well frosted. Strain over ice into a highball glass with a hibiscus pyramid salt (pink sea salt and crushed hibiscus flowers) rim.
Hibiscus water: Combine 8 cups of water and 2 cups of hibiscus flowers in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat. Let cool completely and strain.
Strawberry simple syrup: Bring 1 ½ cup of strawberries (stem removed and sliced), 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water to a rolling boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain through a mesh strainer and let cool completely.
Hibiscus Pyramid Salt: Pink sea salt and crushed hibiscus flowers to make our salt blend.
Recipe furnished courtesy of The Distillarium (Yakima, Washington).
Spring Cup
1½ ounce Stjärna Aquavit
1 ounce Pimm’s liqueur
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
1 bar spoon of simple syrup
San Pellegrino Limonata sparkling lemon soda
Garnish with fresh mint sprig, or other springtime herbs
Combine all but the soda in a shaker tin three-quarters filled with ice, shake briefly then strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with the soda and mix to combine. Garnish with lemon and a fresh mint sprig.
Recipe furnished courtesy of Temple Distilling Company (Lynnwood, Washington).
Spring Thaw
2 ounces Timberline Vodka
¾ ounces sweet vermouth
¼ ounce Clear Creek Douglas Fir Brandy
¼ ounce Benedictine
2 dashes orange bitters
Garnish with lemon twist and rosemary sprig
In a shaker tin three-quarters filled with ice, add Timberline Vodka, sweet vermouth, Douglas Fir Brandy, (if not available, take a walk in the forest and breathe in deeply through your nose), Benedictine and two dashes of orange bitters. Pour into a coupe glass or a shallow camp cup. Garnish with a lemon twist, rosemary and dreams of good things to come.
Recipe furnished courtesy of Hood River Distillers (Hood River, Oregon).
Dirty Mermaid
2½ ounces Copper Bonnet gin
½ ounce Ransom Dry Vermouth
¾ to 1½ ounces olive brine
Add gin, vermouth and brine to a shaker tin three-quarters filled with ice. Shake until chilled throughout. Strain into a glass. Garnish with an olive skewer.
Recipe furnished courtesy of Copper Bonnet Distillery (Bend, Oregon).
