After the boozy beverages of winter, spring requires a lighter approach. Or if not requires, spring, at minimum, requests it. So the coming months are a period for cocktails in bigger glasses, vessels that welcome more liquid for more leisurely sipping. Let’s get tall, baby!
Batanga
Blanco tequila, lime juice, cola, salt: Welcome to the Batanga, a low-key cocktail that is the icon of La Capilla, the “oldest cantina in the town of Tequila, Mexico,” said Imbibe magazine. There are easy drinks, but the Batanga is so effortless you could make it while horizontal.
Caribeño
Take a daiquiri; make it long and tall. You’ve now got yourself a Caribeño. The rum, lime juice and simple syrup are there, of course. Coconut water does the heavy work here, creating a cocktail that will not knock you on your rear.
Champ-Ale
You can have your cocktail and beer it, too! The Champ-Ale has you pour a light cream ale and sparkling wine into a big ole glass with ice, then shake together sweet vermouth, lemon juice and cane syrup in a separate vessel. Pour the second mixture into the glass, stir and embrace the best of two booze worlds.
Earl Grey-Aquavit Spritz
Throw some Earl Grey tea leaves and a chunk of lemon peel in a bottle of aquavit, the caraway seed-flavored spirit. Let infuse for 20 minutes or so, then combine with honey syrup, lemon juice and sparkling wine. Serve this plucky spritz to a crowd of pals.
Kombucha-Vodka Highball
The best of the basics, this highball combines vodka, ginger-flavored kombucha, lime juice, simple syrup and, oh yes, ice. Garnish with a lime wedge to prove you bothered a little.
Oita Chu-hi
A touch of future-thinking is required for this shochu-based highball. You will need to infuse a bag of barley tea in a bottle of shochu, and blend sweet, herbal pandan leaves with coconut water — then carbonate the mix to make yourself a coconut soda. From there, it is all about assembling. A little rigmarole for much rejuvenescence.
Serpent-less Swizzle
A drink with ballast, the Irish whiskey base of the Serpent-less Swizzle is a hearty anchor. Sweet white vermouth, lemon juice and grenadine provide contrast and sharpness. Swizzles, a genre of cocktails served over crushed or pebbled ice, are meant for sipping. You may find yourself guzzling.
Watership Down
The “flavors make me think of fields,” said bartender Jeremy Oertel to Punch magazine about his cocktail Watership Down. Yes, its name is an homage to the classic leporine book, with grassy notes a rabbit might adore. Gin, dry vermouth, celery shrub and ginger syrup guarantee a cocktail that is balanced and refreshing.
Out with the rocks glass, in with the tumblers and pint glasses