Springy Cocktail Concoctions

By Casey Denton

What do Festivals, Drag Races, and the Dogwood blooms have in common? If you said springtime in Midtown Atlanta, you are correct.   If you said things that make me want to drink, you would also be correct! 

As Atlanta begins to come back to life, we not only prepare to battle our bipolar weather and stock up on allergy medication; our restless selves tend to move outdoors.  We seek a patio, a porch, the park or any friend with a big deck for a good time and socialization.  As we all know, no party is complete without the perfect cocktail.  Try a couple of these for your next outdoor gathering.

Everything is better with tequila.  A statement that has rarely led me astray, in all honesty, it wasn’t a very straight path to begin with.  Here is one of my new favorites, Dulce Vida.  Dulce Vida is a 100% blue agave handcrafted tequila with some amazing all-natural flavors.  The Dulce Vida Lime is perfect for a little midday shot but even better on the rocks.  Their Pineapple Jalapeno is sweet with just a slight touch of heat which makes for an absolutely refreshing early evening cocktail.  Try the TNT.

TNT

2 oz Dulce Vida Pineapple Jalapeno

¼ oz Fresh Lime Juice

Fill with Soda

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Light and refreshing is the way of spring but with a smooth and citrus-forward gin, like Aviation, fits the bill.  Aviation Gin is an American gin which tends to be smoother and more balanced with subtle hints of juniper. An excellent gin for the non-gin drinker.  The Southside with muddled mint and fresh lime juice will make the perfect cocktail for sitting out on the lanai pondering which Golden Girl you truly embody.  If you fall into the Blanche Devereaux category (let’s face it, most of us do), and find yourself entertaining a number of callers try whipping up a pitcher of fresh Strawberry Gin Smashes.

The Southside

2 oz Aviation Gin

¾ Fresh Lemon Juice

Muddled Mint Leaves (about 6)

¾ oz Simple Syrup

Strawberry Gin Smash (Serves 8)

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 limes, juiced

1 pound fresh strawberries

2 cups Aviation Gin

3 cups club soda

Fresh mint to garnish

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If there’s one thing about midtown, it’s everybody loves vodka.  If you haven’t tried Western Son Vodka you should.  This 10 times distilled vodka is super clean and super smooth.  Their line of flavors are fabulous and tend to be a touch on the sweeter side, this is perfect for a fun springtime cocktail or two or four.  A couple of cocktails to try:  Prickly Pear Margarita and the Western Cooler.  The Prickly Pear Margarita is a balance of flavor and sweetness and the Western Cooler made with their cucumber vodka is an excellent choice for any beautiful spring day.

Prickly Pear Margarita

1 oz Western Son Prickly Pear Vodka

1 oz silver tequila

1 oz lime Juice

1 oz simple syrup

Western Cooler

1 ½ oz Western Son Cucumber Vodka

2 oz tonic

½ oz simple syrup

Squeeze of lime

Remember, Please Drink Responsibly