This morning I grabbed the paper and found an article on spring cocktails. The way the weather has been, most would think it was closer to summer… But as it heats up, we spend more time outside and in an effort to shake things up, some of these cocktails might be just what the doctor ordered.
The list includes a wide variety of drinks and places around the Valley to get them. There are so many places to get a drink in the Valley, I am sure this was a tough article to write. But here are a few of my favorites:
Grapefruit Mojito
I love grapefruit and grapefruit juice, so sign me up! This drink is made with grapefruit juice, simple syrup, VEEV acai liqueur, white rum, muddled mint leaves and grapefruit pieces. Ha. Perfect timing for a drink with VEEV. I got some of that recently from Klout, and while it tastes great with, well… Ice. This sounds like a fun and refreshing cocktail to use it in. You can order one of these at True Food Kitchen, one of my favorite restaurants in the Valley, for $10.
Aperol Shandy
Before I even read the ingredients, I wanted to clarify a traditional shandy. A shandy is beer mixed with soda, carbonated lemonade, ginger ale, apple juice or orange juice. There are some brewing companies out there that brew a shandy, but, unless they are mixing beer with one of these other ingredients, it is not a traditional shandy.
This drink sounds good, though. The drink features two Italian liqueurs. Aperol, an aperitif made with bitter orange, gentian root, rhubarb and cinchona bark. The other spirit is Dimmi liqueur. Pretty much the same thing from what I can tell. I’ve had Aperol, but not sure I’ve had, or even seen, Dimmi liqueur. This drink also includes lemon juice, simply syrup and Peroni beer. Peroni. Fitting! That’s an Italian beer and this drink is available at North Italia.
I’ve been to North Italia several times. It is right by my office, and is a great place to grab lunch. They make a mean Espresso, too. Great… Now I want coffee!
Blue Ginger Martini
This drink is available at Ra Sushi, one of my favorite sushi places in the Valley. There is a Ra Sushi right by my office, and they have a great happy hour. I haven’t had this drink yet, but have seen it being served during happy hour. This cocktail has Pinnacle Blueberry Vodka and blueberry ginger lemonade. It is muddled with blueberries, go figure, and ginger. It’s a simple drink, and for only $8.50, it won’t break the bank.
Sucker Punch
Oh, this drink sounds awesome. It features Campo de Encanto Pisco, whatever that is, strawberry candy syrup, plum bitters and lime juice. This drink is, apparently, shaken and then double stained in a cocktail glass, garnished with a strawberry slice. This drink will cost you $11, but if you order this, make sure you watch the bartender make this. You can get this at Bitter & Twisted, a new and awesome cocktail bar in downtown Phoenix.
Other drinks mentioned included Woodford Reserve Spring Splash from, Paul Martin’s American Grill, the ZuZu Spring Cocktail from Hotel Valley Ho, a Passionfruit Red Bull Margarita from The Shout House a Pear Blossom from Perfect Pear Bistro. I haven’t even heard of some of these places, but plan on trying some of these cocktails this spring.
What are some of your favorite springtime cocktail recipes? Cheers!
