Spring Sipping: 5 Inspiring AF Drink Ideas

Spring cocktails can sometimes feel like a mystery when you’ve not attempted them before. We’re all aware of the classic summer recipes: Pimms, sweet and sticky punch bowls, even a cold beer in the sun. But Wise Bartender wants to help you on your spring sipping journey by bringing floral, herbal and light flavours to your sampling.

We have compiled these 5 inspiring alcohol-free drinks with base ingredients that you might not have considered in your cocktails before, but still provide the cooling crisp to your throat that we all cherish in the bloom of spring. Perfect for sitting in your garden, welcoming the wonderfully warming weather and the first shoots of flowers appearing; share the newly brightened evenings with someone special and toast to new beginnings with these beautifully refreshing drink ideas.

Rosé Punch

Wise Bartender are huge fans of garnishing fruity concoctions with the zesty essence of fresh herbs, and thyme is the perfect compliment for a floral, strawberry packed beverage of bliss. This stunning cocktail is the ideal drink to pair with light dishes in warmer weather like pastas, seafood and even cheese platters - if that’s not the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of spring weather, we don’t know what is.

Ingredients:

• One bottle of Kylie Minogue Alcohol Free Sparkling Rosé
  
• A punnett of fresh strawberries
  
• Fresh thyme/rosemary
  
• Sugar syrup
  
• 2 cups of neutral soda/club soda

Recipe:

1. Heat the sugar syrup in a large pan
   
2. Slice a couple of strawberries and add to the sugar syrup with a few sprigs of thyme. Stir to combine
   
3. Slice the remaining strawberries and add to a large jug with plenty of ice
   
4. Top with the rosé, club soda, more sprigs of thyme and the sugared strawberries
   
5. Stir to combine
   
6. Pour into highball glasses to serve

Cider Supreme

Cider isn’t the most commonly thought of beverage when it comes to cocktail ingredients, which is a travesty when it’s such a popular drink for spring. The cool appley goodness of a draft cider and the rich vibrant variations in fruit ciders lend themselves perfectly to chilled springtime cocktails.

The Bourbon Spiked Cider recipe is a little gem of a drink because it can be dressed up in spices and cinnamon for autumn or, as we’ve chosen to do, combined with gingery goodness to bring that much needed kick. Because mild might be the going trend for summer tipples, but we love to bring the punch.

Ingredients:

• Holly GoLightly Low Alcohol Cider
  
• Lyre's Non-Alcoholic American Malt Spirit
  
• Square Root Ginger Beer Can
  
• Fresh lime juice
  
• Fresh apple slices
  
• Honey

Recipe:

1. Combine the malt spirit, cider, lime juice and honey in a cocktail shaker or stir well in jug
   
2. Place ice cubes and fresh apple slices in a cocktail glass
   
3. Pour over the cider mix
   
4. Top up with ginger beer

Tip top tipple advice: Serve this drink fridge cold for the full fresh effect.

Bee’s Knees

The origin of the Bees Knees is unknown. Some believe it originated during prohibition when honey and lemon were used to mask the harsh flavour of poor quality gin. Others have found evidence that it was invented in Paris by Frank Meier or by American socialite Margaret Brown.

What we do know is that this cocktail really is the bees knees. It has stood the test of time as a truly tasty, tangy tantalizer of the tongue. Sweet honey, sour lemon and bitter gin may sound like cold medicine in the making, but are a staple combination that still exists in many of our favourite G&T recipes. This historical twist on a classic combination will knock your socks off - because you really should be wiggling bare feet in fresh spring grass instead.

Ingredients (per serving):

• 60ml New London Light (NLL) First Light Non-Alcoholic Aperitif
  
• 15ml lemon juice
  
• 15ml honey syrup
  
• Lemon twist to garnish

Recipe:

1. Freeze a martini glass
   
2. Fill a cocktail shaker or mixing jug with ice
   
3. Add all the ingredients and shake/stir well to combine
   
4. Strain the cocktail into your chilled martini glasses
   
5. Garnish with a lemon twist

Tip top tipple advice: Use honey syrup rather than pure honey in your bees knees cocktail because it dissolves much easier.

Kombucha Mimosa

Kombucha is a fruity sparkling wonderment that is fantastic for your gut and boasts a tangy, fresh but full flavour. In cocktails, it is an often overlooked mixer because it is seen as a stand-alone beverage but a single can of kombucha can lift an alcohol-free cocktail from standard to exceptional.

Never is this more true than with the simple treasure; mimosa. Simply swap your orange juice for a Kombucha of your choice and combine with non-alcoholic sparkling wine in a tall flute. You’ll unlock a world of flavour you didn’t know existed.

Our top Kombucha Mimosa swaps:

• Nunc Jun-Kombucha Mango Buzz
  
• Counter Culture Rhubarb & Hibiscus Kombucha Can
  
• Fix8 Sicillian Citrus Kombucha Can
  
• Mighty Brew Organic Elderflower Sec Kombucha

Basil Gin Bonanza

We thought we’d finish off with a classic G&T for the gin lovers out there with a sharp, herbal twist that will brighten any springtime day. Gin is particularly delightful to sip in your garden or at a bar overlooking the flora and fauna that are beginning to decorate the world.

Whether you’re setting the tone for barbecue weather or simply stewing in the heat at home, the Basil Gin Bonanza will leave a cool, refreshingly savoury taste in your mouth.

Ingredients:

• 2 part lemon juice
  
• 3 parts CleanCo Clean G Gin Alternative Alcohol Free Spirit
  
• 1 part sugar syrup
  
• Basil leaves

Recipe:

1. Crush the basil leaves to release the flavour and add to a cocktail shaker
   
2. Add the lemon juice, gin and sugar syrup and combine
   
3. Pour into a highball glass over plenty of ice
   
4. Garnish with fresh basil

If you need any more inspiration for your alcohol-free drinks this spring, check out Wise Bartender’s wide selection of pre-mixed cocktails, beers and ciders, as well as our non-alcoholic spirits & mixers.