Name: A Hare Above the Rest
Prep time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1.5 oz Distillery No 209 Gin (or your favorite premium brand of gin); 1 oz blood orange juice; 1/2 oz Aperol; 1/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

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Nothing helps you shake off the winter blues like a good cocktail. We’ve got a spring cocktail that captures the season in a celebratory, electric orange burst of color and flavor. And since spring is a season of fertility, we’re hoping this drink will be your new springtime aphrodisiac.

A spring gin cocktail

This flirty spring cocktail idea is called A Hare Above the Rest. It features a gin from an interesting, American distillery, Distillery No 209. This northern California distillery is actually built over water on San Francisco’s Pier 50. They use the cold waters of the bay beneath them as natural air conditioning year round.

No 209 gin is a truly handcrafted product made from Midwestern corn and snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The result is a distinctly American, premium gin. But with all of our recipes, if you have a different gin preference, use your favorite brand to make this the best spring cocktail for you.

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A new way to do Aperol

In addition to handcrafted gin, this easy spring cocktail recipe showcases Aperol, the Italian spirit that’s really having a moment. (Perhaps you’ve seen all the Instagram photos of sunset-orange cocktails called Aperol Spritz? That’s the Aperol that gives the drink their evening glow.)

It’s a spirit similar in sweetness level to Campari. But, although like Campari it’s flavored with bitter orange, this spirit delivers the flavor without Campari’s bite. And as a flavoring for spring cocktails, it’s cheering orange glow and sweet kiss are pretty irresistible.

Here it is used to bring a bit of sweetness and enhance the orange flavor of the blood orange juice. Just be sure not to skimp on the fresh lemon juice, which balances the sweet flavor with a thirst-quenching tang. (Don’t forget that citrus makes our list of the 10 Best Foods for Women.) In this spring cocktail, the lemon’s hint of fresh, sour acidity is what gives the recipe its refreshing flavor.

Looking for more fun spring cocktails? Check out all of our cocktail recipes