Spring Spritz
Hello, sunshine.
by Erin Henderson
I am a big fan of sparkling wine cocktails. They’re elegant and whimsical, and set a festive tone for any fete – even of that fete is simply sitting on the front porch in a t-shirt for the first time this year.
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This is a spritz I made up based on a recipe I saw on liquor.com. Fleur de Paradis is made with Plymouth gin and ritzy Perrier-Jouët Champagne along with flavours of lemon and sugar. My local shop only had one, very expensive Plymouth gin, so I went with a far more accessible London Dry. I also opted for a wallet-friendly, fruity Prosecco in place of the decadent Champagne (Crémant de Bourgogne would be a great alternative as well to a brut bubbly that’s a little easier on the budget.) And, seeing as I am mid-way through a Mexican cooking course, I have an abundance of limes on hand so that replaced the lemon. I also found the elderflower liqueur sweet enough for my tastes, so I nixed the simple syrup. And finally, I didn’t have orange bitters, but I did have grapefruit, so voilà. A similar enough recipe to give credit where credit is due, but different enough to give my sparkling tipple a new moniker.
Spring Spritz
This would make a fun welcome cocktail for a spring backyard brunch. To make ahead of time, batch the gin mixture and keep in the fridge until needed. When guests arrive simply pour into coups and top with bubbly.
Makes: 1 drink
Bartender level: Easy
Ingredients:
- 2 oz gin
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- ½ oz fresh grapefruit juice
- 1 dash grapefruit bitters
- ¾ oz elderflower liqueur
- 2 oz Prosecco
How to Make It:
- Into a shaker filled with ice, add the gin through elderflower liqueur. Shake until chilled, and strain into a coup.
- Top with Prosecco and serve.