5 Spirits to Sip in Spring

Spring is here and the next two months are filled with five spirited holidays. Thanks to William Grant & Sons, a family-owned distillery with a vast portfolio of award-winning spirits, we have cocktails for every celebration.

Cinco de Mayo – May 5

Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner and we suggest you celebrate with the festive, Spicy Milagro Paloma featuring Mexico-born William Grant & Sons’ spirits, Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur and Milagro Tequila. The complex, smoky, heated undercurrent of spices in Ancho Reyes perfectly complements the exceptionally smooth, agave-forward Milagro Reposado.

Spicy Milagro Paloma

• 1 ½ parts Milagro Reposado
• ½ part Ancho Reyes Chili Liqueur
• ½ part Fresh Lime Juice
• 3 parts Grapefruit Soda
• Grapefruit Wheel

Use a lime wedge to wet the rim of the glass and salt half the rim. Add ice, Milagro Reposado, Ancho Reyes and grapefruit soda. Squeeze a wedge of lime and discard. Garnish with a thin grapefruit wheel.

World Cocktail Day - May 13

World Cocktail Day is marked as the publication date of the first definition of a cocktail on May 13, 1806 which stated a “Cock-tail is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters”, strikingly similar to the components of an Old Fashioned. Celebrate World Cocktail Day with the original cocktail, the Old Fashioned, using Hudson Baby Bourbon. The first New York aged whiskey since Prohibition is the perfect introduction to aged whiskey spirits with its vanilla and caramel tasting notes.

Hudson Whiskey Old Fashioned

• 1 part Hudson Baby Bourbon
• 3 dashes bitters
• 1 tsp bar sugar
• 1 lemon peel

Muddle sugar, bitters, and soda. Add Baby Bourbon and ice and stir. Garnish with a lemon peel.

Mother’s Day – May 13

Treat your mom this Mother’s Day with a refreshing cocktail made with a spirit as unique as she is, Reyka Vodka. Born of the volcanoes and glaciers of Iceland, Reyka is unlike any other vodka because it is handcrafted in a way that is unlike any other. The use of lava rocks as a natural filtration system and distilled in the cleanest air in the world, results in the smooth taste.

Reyka Southside

• 2 parts Reyka Vodka
• 1 part fresh lime juice
• ¾ part simple syrup (1:1)
• 4-6 Mint leaves

Combine all ingredients together in cocktail shaker and double strain and garnish with mint leaf or sprig.

World Whisky Day – May 19

World Whisky Day is all about making scotch whisky fun and enjoyable. However you choose to drink your whisky, celebrate with the world’s most awarded and best-selling single malt scotch whisky, Glenfiddich. If you like to enjoy your whisky in a cocktail, try the simple yet refreshing High Ball which brings out the sweet and subtle oak flavours of the Glenfiddich 12 Years Old.

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old High Ball

• 1 part Glenfiddich 12 YO
• 3 parts soda water
• Pear slice
• Lemon slice

Combine all ingredients in a Hi Ball packed with cubed ice, garnish with lemon and pear garnish.

Memorial Day - May 28

Memorial Day is a day of observance and gratitude for those who died while serving in the country’s armed forces. Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, named in honor of Navy Veteran and American tattoo legend Norman ‘Sailor Jerry’ Collins, honors his values of freedom and originality. Whether you are spending Memorial Day by the pool or on the lake, the Throw Shake cocktail will be your new summer favorite.

Throw Shade             

• 2 parts Sailor Jerry Rum  
• Juice of half a lime
• 1 ½ parts simple syrup
• 8 mint leaves
• Amber lager

Muddle simple syrup & mint. Add Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum and shake over ice. Double strain and serve in beer mug or pint glass on the rocks. Top with Amber Lager and garnish w/ lime and mint.

**Friendly reminder — drink responsibly.**