Spring has sprung around our Vancouver studio, and we’ve been spending our days taking in the city’s gorgeous blooming cherry blossoms. This, to us, is as good as it gets—and we’re loving it.
Our brides, though, remain hard at work, finalizing the details for their late spring and summer weddings. In celebration of the season’s changing and the arrival of more sunlight and warmer weather, we wanted to share a few spring sips that make excellent candidates for sunny, light signature cocktails.
Here are the recipes for our latest faves—enjoy!
Cherry Blossom Cosmo
This lovely cocktail is a literal ode to the blooms lining Mount Pleasant’s streets! We love this time of year, we love sake, and you’ll love this cocktail. Serves 1.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 ounces sake
- 1/2 ounce premium triple sec
- 1/2 ounce cranberry juice
- 1 splash freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 dashes orange bitters
This one is super easy to put together. For bonus points, chill your cocktail glasses way ahead of time.
Assemble all of your ingredients in your cocktail shaker and add lots of ice. If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, a mason jar with a well-fitted lid will do the trick.
Now, shake until your cocktail shaker or mason jar is very cold to the touch, even a bit hard to hold (just be careful!).
Then, strain your cocktail into your chilled glass and sip. It’s important to strain your cocktail to prevent any ice chips from sneaking into your glass (unless you prefer your cocktails that way!). Cheers!
French Gimlet
For a more tart but still light and refreshing cocktail, we’ve also been loving french gimlets. Pairing lovely St Germain with a fresh lime garnish, this cocktail is hyping us up for summer. Serves 1.
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces gin
- 1 ½ ounces St Germain
- ½ ounce lime juice
- lime wedge for garnish
Assemble your gin, St Germain, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Next—you know the drill—shake until your cocktail shaker is nice and cool.
Strain into your cocktail glass, ideally a cute little vintage glass, and run the slice of lime around the edge of your glass before resting it on the rim as garnish.
Easy and delicious.
Japanese Slipper
The Japanese Slipper is our wildcard for the season. It’s thought that this cocktail got its name because it features Midori, a melon liqueur produced exclusively in Japan by Suntory until 1987. Midori, or 緑, translates to “green” in English, which gives you a hint about what makes this cocktail so special.
Ingredients:
- 1 part Midori melon liqueur
- 1 part Cointreau
- 1 part lemon juice
- maraschino cherry for garnish
This amazing cocktail is so easy to make, too. You’ll notice this recipe is strictly proportional, so you can easily scale this recipe up or down as needed.
Just make sure each of your ingredients are added in equal proportion.
To make, add the Midori, your orange-y Cointreau, and lemon juice to your cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake until nice and cold.
Strain and garnish with one (or two, or three!) maraschino cherries. Then sit back, relax, and enjoy this brightly coloured and superbly spring-y drink that will help you shake off your winter blues.
Imagine serving up bright little Japanese Slippers to your guests in refined coup glasses, or passing around a heavenly gimlet to kick off your gorgeous summer reception. We won’t lie: it’s a flex. But it’s your wedding day… So go ahead and flex.
Happy tasting! 🍸
