It finally feels like spring has sprung - so let’s raise a seasonally appropriate glass! This gorgeous cocktail - in hue and in flavor - comes to us via my brother-in-law, Ben. A lawyer by day, Ben regularly moonlights as a bartender extraordinaire, selecting and modifying drinks to inspire and amaze. He’s the kind of person who goes to the liquor store to pick up the exact right gin (“no, no - the juniper in that one is too strong for this drink”) and comes back with an enormous smile and three new varieties of bitters. In other words, we can trust his cocktail recommendations.

The Water Lily was originally imagined at NYC cocktail bar PDT. It’s a gin-based cocktail spiked with orange liqueur and fresh lemon juice. Its beautiful, spring-forward color comes from crème de violette, which is actually made from wild violets. There are two main brands of crème de violette: Rothman & Winter is the classic from Austria, made from Queen Charlotte and March violets that grow in the Alps. Here, we used Giffard, which is a relative newcomer from Loire, France that has a very intense flavor and color. As you can imagine, crème de violette brings a sweetness and floral essence to this drink that balances well with the herbaceous gin and tart citrus.

Now that the evenings are a little brighter, it feels like there’s loads of time to have an aperitif before dinner. Shake yourself up a Water Lily, kick back, and welcome the warmer weather.

Water Lily

Time: 5 minutes || Servings: 1 || Source: PDT

• Cointreau or triple sec - ¾ oz

• Crème de violette - ¾ oz

• Lemon juice - ¾ oz

• Gin - ¾ oz

• Twist of lemon or orange, for garnish

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add Cointreau or triple sec, crème de violette, lemon juice, and gin. Shake well, then strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a strip of lemon or orange zest.