10 SPRING COCKTAIL RECIPES
TO WELCOME THE SEASON
SPRING HAS LANDED, MAKING IT PRIME TIME TO CELEBRATE THE WARMER WEATHER.
Kick back and add plenty of ice to those cocktails without needing gloves to hold your drink, and level up your parties with these refreshing spring cocktail recipes.
We’ve lined up our favourite cocktails, from simple and fruity highballs to elevated whisky cocktails that require a touch more prep time.
Read on to see our favourite spring cocktail ideas
Pineapple Highball
This simple pineapple cocktail is perfect for kick-starting your garden parties and evening barbeques. “Whisky and pineapple juice?!”, we hear you ask? Try it, it works. Quick to make, even cocktail novices can’t go wrong with this one.
Once you’ve achieved pineapple perfection, you can experiment with different juices like orange, apple or cranberry – there’s a world of varieties out there!
Tea’s a Lady
Why settle for a vase of flowers when floral flavours are so much better in a drink? This fruity cocktail recipe is bursting with fresh and floral flavours. With delicate jasmine and Chivas 12 at its core and accompanied by apple and lemon juice, the Chivas 12 pairs perfectly with the apple juice due to its orchard notes, creating a perfect fresh spring whisky cocktail.
Electrolight Highball
Spring is a time for renewed energy and the manic spring clean, and we’ve got the perfect drink to match this time of productivity and vitality: the Electrolyte Highball. This refreshing spring cocktail, created by bartender Jason Candid, uses whisky, pineapple bitters and absinthe, creating the ultimate modern twisted cocktail.
This is the next step on your way to cocktail mastery and requires a bit of preparation to achieve a truly elevated, energetic twisted craft cocktail.
Cherry Highball
Every year thousands travel to Japan to witness the stunning cherry spring blossom of the Sakura tree. No time to travel? Just have a single sip of this Japanese whisky highball cocktail instead. Masterminded by Chivas Masters 2018 finalist Chloe Merz, this cherry blossom cocktail pays homage to the beautiful annual event.
Maya Bay
Brimming with tropical and aromatic flavours, this cocktail recipe makes for the perfect opportunity to flex your impressive cocktail making skills. The blend of lychee, lemongrass and coconut cordial – along with the delicate flavours of Chivas Mizunara – make this cocktail an extra special drink.
Extra Paloma
While its more intense cousin the Margarita gives a stronger kick, the whisky Paloma is the ideal refreshing spring cocktail to add maximum colour and fun to any occasion. This Paloma cocktail recipe is simple and super-fast to make. Thought to have originated in Tequila, Mexico, the Paloma is now popular all over the world. Bring a little bit of sun-soaked Mexico to your next spring party – salud!
Extra Sangria
Invoking the feeling of balmy holiday evenings, this red Sangria recipe is a twist on the classic Sangria, and uses Chivas Extra Sherry Cask* to bring the best of Scotland and the Mediterranean together.
Elderflower Highball
Come late spring, elder trees are filled with the sweet scent of fragrant and delicate elderflowers; the perfect ingredient for a spring cocktail. The elderflower cordial in this easy-to-make whisky cocktail perfectly elevates the honey and orchard fruit flavours found in Chivas 12, making a beautifully refreshing and fragrant cocktail for spring.
Mizunara Camomile Highball
Out and about enjoying the weather and finding yourself with less time to spare? We don’t blame you. Here’s a time-saving shortcut to creating a delicious cocktail: use teabags to make the syrup. Our variation of a Japanese highball recipe, the Mizunara Camomile Highball, uses camomile tea to create a wonderfully refreshing cocktail. When blended with the delicate flavours in Chivas Mizunara, the floral notes of camomile are perfectly played out on your taste buds. It makes for a sensational long, light and fresh camomile tea cocktail.
18th Cup
Here it is. The 18th hole, the finale. The 18th cup. The star of this late-spring refresher is the iconic and highly coveted Chivas 18, adding appleade and ginger ale to the mix to complete a fresh yet complex cocktail ready for any occasion.
This cocktail is based on an old Victorian recipe called the Summer Cup – and it’s the perfect way to end spring and look to the summer months.
Quick tip. If you’re hosting, you can batch create the base of Chivas 18, triple sec and sweet vermouth in advance to save on time. No-one will ever know.