If you’re throwing a spring-themed party, then we need to talk about what your guests will be drinking. Whether this is a formal garden party, or you’re just having friends over to test out the new grill, there’s a great springtime drink for every occasion. You can mix it up in a punchbowl or serve out separate cups or glasses. Either way, you’ll be famous with your friends and the whole neighborhood if you serve the right drinks.

For a Fancy Garden Party

If your guests are showing up in their sundresses and slacks, and you’ve spruced up the garden to perfection, you’ll want to serve something a little bit more special than beer or soda pop. For this kind of party, we love a cherry-blossom-tini or a cucumber-tea-ni.

Created by mixologist Allen Katz, this twist on the cosmopolitan is a true delight. It’s made with orange liqueur, cranberry juice, lime juice, orange bitters, and sake. It’s sweet and light, and it’s a beautiful pale pink, too. You can garnish it with actual cherry blossoms or an orange twist. Just advise your more adventurous guests not to actually eat the cherry blossoms!

The cucumber-tea-ni is the invention of Bistro la Promenade’s mixologist, Jason Walsh, and it’s a piece of refreshment heaven on a breezy spring day or a hot summer afternoon. It’s made with vodka, yellow chartreuse, sencha green tea syrup, lemon juice, and cucumber. It’s then garnished with mint leaves, which your guests can eat if they really want to. The leaves, themselves, don’t taste that great, but your guests will have fantastic breath afterward.

For a More Casual Occasion

If you’re just having a few people over for cocktails on the patio, you might want to mix up something simple and refreshing. Make two batches of fresh lemonade for your guests. You can make one virgin and add vodka, tequila, gin, or sake to the other, depending on your tastes.

If you’re holding a casual affair, but you want to put just a little bit more work into the contents of your punchbowl to wow your guests, try your hand at making sangria. We love fruit smoothies, so we love putting a little bit of a twist on a traditional sangria mix. In addition to your choice of fruit juice(s), rum, and/or simple syrup, blend up some fresh fruit and mix that in, too. Your guests will love their adult smoothies.

You could choose to make a different cocktail for every party, or you could pick one that your guests really love and stick to it. Then, you can bring the ingredients for that with you whenever you go to someone else’s parties. Look up fun new recipes online and try them out on your friends. They’ll think you’re a real mixologist. You don’t have to tell them that you got your skills from Google and a few experiments in the kitchen.

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