What’s the best way to really celebrate springtime?

Tasty Easter cocktails, of course! Pick your poison; we have cocktails featuring bourbon, cognac, vodka, tequila, rum, and gin.  Whether or not you celebrate Easter, everyone can enjoy the light springy drinks we’ve compiled here:

Rabbit Punch

This bourbon cocktail from Epicurious is practically begging to be sipped on a front porch in the early afternoon. The combination of fruits and the dry champagne really wake up your palate after this long cold winter.  This punch takes a bit of time to do it right, so definitely make sure to plan ahead.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole orange, plus 1 orange cut into thin slices for garnish
• 1 lemon
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1 (750 milliliter) bottle bourbon, at least 100 proof
• 1 cup Champagne or sparkling wine
• 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks

Preparation:

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from 1 orange and the lemon. Transfer to a large punch bowl and add the sugar. Muddle to release the citrus oils, then let stand 1 to 2 hours.

Add the lemon and pineapple juices and the bourbon, and stir to combine. Just before serving, stir in 3 to 4 cups of ice, then top with Champagne or sparkling wine and garnish with the orange slices and pineapple chunks.

Yield:

Makes 20 servings

Rosemary-Infused Honey Sidecars

This fresh take on the traditional sidecar from Country Living is perfect for springtime!  While cognac (a type of brandy) is more traditionally an after-dinner drink, this honeyed version is perfect for an Easter brunch.

Ingredients:

• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 8 more sprigs, trimmed, for garnish
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup honey, plus more for coating glass rims
• 2 cups VSOP Cognac
• 1 cup (from about 4 lemons) lemon juice

Preparation:

In a medium pot, bring 2 2/3 cups water and 3 rosemary sprigs to a boil. Boil 1 minute and set aside to steep until water cools to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Discard rosemary sprigs and pour infused water into 2 ice-cube trays and freeze.

Place sugar in a small, shallow dish. Using your finger, coat rims of eight 8-ounce tumblers with honey and immediately press the rims into sugar to coat. Set aside.  

In a pitcher, combine Cognac, lemon juice, and remaining honey. Add rosemary-infused ice cubes and stir vigorously until honey dissolves and liquid is well chilled. Pour through a strainer into prepared glasses; discard ice. Garnish each glass with a rosemary sprig and serve immediately.

Yields:

Makes 8 cocktails

Strawberry-Gin Cocktail

There’s nothing that says springtime (and the beginning of summer) quite like strawberries.  This Strawberry-Gin Cocktail recipe from Allrecipes is a perfect Easter cocktail.  The fresh basil compliments the gin, and the strawberry adds just a little bit of fruitiness and the right pink hue for Easter Sunday.

Ingredients:

• 1 strawberry
• 2 fresh basil leaves
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• ice cubes
• 2 fluid ounces gin
• 1 fluid ounce fresh lemon juice
• 3 fluid ounces chilled club soda 

Preparation:

Place the strawberry basil leaves, and sugar into a cocktail shaker, and mash well with a cocktail muddler. Add half of the ice to the cocktail shaker, and place the rest into a tall glass. Pour in the gin and lemon juice, cover, and shake until the outside of the shaker has frosted. Strain into the chilled glass over the ice, top with the club soda, and stir to serve.

Yields:

Makes 1 cocktail.

Honey Bunny

For those of you who never quite grew up, we have the perfect cocktail.  The honey bunny, created by the lovely ladies over at Fashionably Bombed is somewhat reminiscent of a white Russian, but updated with a sweetness that perfectly complements the chocolate bunny in which it is served.  Just a tip, you might want to chill the chocolate bunny before hand if you plan to drink your cocktails outside.

Ingredients:

• 1 hollow chocolate bunny
• 2½ ounces milk
• 2 ounces chocolate liqueur
• 1 ounce vanilla vodka
• 1 tablespoon Lavender-Infused Honey Syrup

Preparation:

In a cocktail shaker with ice, add milk, chocolate liqueur, vanilla vodka and Lavender-Infused Honey. Shake vigorously until a frost forms on the outside of the shaker. Rip the head off of that bunny and pour in your cocktail!  Now say, “Cheers” and eat those rabbit ears!

Yields:

Makes 1 cocktail

Here are the directions for the honey syrup.  Make sure you whip up some of this beforehand, and perhaps try adding it to your own cocktail recipes.

Lavender-Infused Honey Syrup

Ingredients:

• 1/8 cup honey
• 1/8 cup water
• 1 tablespoon dried lavender

Preparation:

Combine honey, water and lavender in a small saucepan.  Heat until honey has melted.  Let steep for at least one hour and strain.

Easter Margarita

What list of cocktails would be complete without some variation of the margarita?  The cranberry juice and OJ make this version a little bit springy, and that classic Easter pink hue is right on point.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 ounces cranberry cocktail juice
• 1 ounce orange juice
• 1 ounce silver tequila
• 1/2 ounce sweet and sour mix

Preparation:

In a shaker, add ice and all of the ingredients above.  Stir it up well and dump everything into your cocktail glass.

Yields:

Makes 1 cocktail

Enrique Iglesias’s Atlantico Rabbit

Those of you old enough to drink ought to know Enrique Iglesias.  He’s been around since the early 90s and still going strong.  This cocktail was produced by the mixologists at Atlantico Reserva and is Enrique approved.  Check it out!

Ingredients:

• 1.25 oz. rum (Iglesias recommends Atlantico Platino)
• .75 oz. ginger liqueur
• .75 oz. fresh lemon juice
• .5 oz simple syrup
• 5 mint leaves
• 1 oz. ginger beer

Preparation:

Muddle mint in shaker.  Fill with ice and add rum, ginger liqueur, lime juice and simple syrup.  Shake and pour into rocks glass.  Top with ginger beer.  Garnish with lemon.

Yields:

Makes 1 cocktail

For all of the alcohol in these recipes, head over to Julio’s Liquors in Westborough, MA. Whether you are celebrating Easter, or just putting together a spring brunch, find all of your supplies here.