Bubbly cocktails to make your spring pop by Laura Macfehin

It is that time of year when we emerge blinking from our winter cocoons of tv binging, woolly layers and pudding marathons (o.k. maybe that last one is just me) and realise that it is actually quite nice outside. The sun is finally shining, there’s pollen in the air and the trees are full of new foliage and birds hooking up. Standing at the window, tea in hand the thought occurs– “maybe I’ll drink this on the deck/porch/concrete area by the backdoor?”.

Later still when the seasonal frenzy has gotten into your blood and you’ve actually swept your al fresco living space and increased the ambience by moving the bin back round to the side of the house and picking up the sodden dog toys that have lain untouched in the weeds by the path to the washing line you think “it would be nice to have some drinks out here”.

Springtime is about a renewed enthusiasm for life. It’s about freshness and sunlight and the smell of freesias on the breeze. It’s about fooling ourselves into thinking we are looking forward to summer and don’t know that in fact it will a sweaty nightmare. That’s why you want drinks that reflect this (the fresh freesias part; not the sweaty nightmare part).

French 47

60ml London Dry Gin

1 tsp superfine sugar

15ml lemon juice

145ml champagne

Add the sugar, lemon juice and gin to an ice-filled shaker and give it a good shake to dissolve the sugar. Strain into a glass and top with the champagne or sparkling wine.

Elderflower cocktail

60ml elderflower liqueur (like St Germain)

90ml sparkling wine

30ml soda water

Add the liqueur and sparkling wine to a glass and swizzle slightly, top up with a little soda water. You can also make a totally teetotal version with elderflower cordial, sparkling grape juice and soda water.

Paloma

60ml tequila

15ml lime juice

120ml grapefruit soda

Combine the tequila and lime juice in a glass with ice and give it a swizzle before topping it up with the grapefruit soda. Garnish wit fresh grapefruit and a sprig of mint.

I hope these help put some swing in your spring- let me know what your favourite springtime tipple is!