On a special TV segment with Breakfast Television, I celebrate Spring cocktails in all its colourful glory. I love a pop of colour with my cocktails, but only if it’s done naturally. So that’s why I’m sharing some of my tips to create colourful cocktails without the artificial ingredients. Blue Spirulina, Butterfly Pea Flower Tea and more get shaken up here in these colourful spring cocktails.
To watch my live segment on Breakfast Television – FIND THE LINK HERE.
Purple Vodka Sour with Butterfly Pea Flower and Lavender
We’re shaking up a delicious Vodka Sour to start off this colourful spring cocktails series. Now, before choosing the colours, choosing appropriate Spring cocktails is important to allow the colour and cocktail to shine. So let’s answer the question on why a vodka sour? Vodka Sour offers a clean, basic palate that can adapt to many different flavours. Secondly, you have the egg white component in a classic sour, that will help soften and create that pastel hue I was going for. I decided with the delicacy and creaminess coming from the egg whites, I wanted to highlight Lavender, and embrace the colour purple.
The way we’re embracing the colour purple is by using Butterfly Pea Flower Tea to create a unique syrup. The syrup recipe uses both Lavender and this Tea to help bring out that beautiful purple hue when combined with citrus. At first, it will come off as blue, but once shaken with citrus, you get the magic that’s in the picture below.
Sours can be shaken up with pretty much any spirit. Whisk(e)y, tequila, rums, saki, the list can go on. But when I want to highlight Vodka and allow that spirit to shine, I love to mix it here. It all started when I made the Winter Rosemary Vodka Sour that layered in Drambuie and Bitters to the mix. I realized that Vodka doesn’t have to mean a blank, simple canvas. It can be intriguing and sophisticated. That’s why I pair up the Alberta Pure Vodka with a bit of Giffard’s Creme de Violette Liqueur. One, it compliments the lavender and the purple hue we’re going for. Plus, with Canada’s Number 1 Vodka, expertly crafted in Calgary, Alberta, it’s the perfect vodka to shake up with, with it’s mineral-rich glacier water and prairie grain for an ultra smooth and clean vodka.
I love supporting local shops, but it can be difficult to find these specific items to bring the colour to your cocktail game. For the Butterfly Pea Flower and Blue Spirulina used in this segment, I bought the items online via AMAZON. You can follow my store front link attached to source this and many other of my favourite cocktail items.
Purple Rain
This delicious Vodka Sour is made purple thanks to Butterfly Pea Flower Tea and a dash of Creme de Violette
– Difficulty: Intermediate
Ingredients
- 2 oz Vodka
- 0.5 oz Creme de Violette
- 0.5 oz Butterfly Pea Flower & Lavender Syrup
- 1 oz Lemon Juice
- Egg Whites
Instructions
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Combine all your ingredients in a shaker without ice and dry shake (meaning the shaker has only the liquid and no ice – this helps emulsify and provide a thicker foam top).
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Open up the shaker and add ice. Shake vigorously once more.
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Strain into a Martini or Coupe Glass.
Recipe Notes
To make the Butterfly Pea Flower & Lavender Syrup, grab a small saucer, and over med/high heat, combine 1 cup Water, 1 cup Granulated Sugar, 1 tbsp of dried Lavender buds with 1 Butterfly Pea Flower Tea Bag. Stir until sugar dissolves, and let this come to a boil. Lower the temp and simmer for 5 minutes before straining out the tea. Let it come to room temperature before use and/or storage. Good for 6 cocktails. Lasts up to 2 weeks in the fridge (but it will lose it’s flavour after 3 days).
Blueberry Ramos Gin Fizz
Say hello to BLUE! There were a few factors that played into why I built this cocktail and with this Gin. First and foremost, we have the Roku Gin from Japan that was the perfect pair with this sophisticated cocktail. A Ramos Gin Fizz calls for finesse and patience. It’s not for everyone. But that’s why I love the Roku Gin for this creation. This expertly crafted Gin is exactly what you need to meet the sophistication of a Ramos Gin Fizz.
You may be wondering how we got this beautiful Blue colour, and that’s by using Blue Spirulina Powder. Blue Spirulina is a natural blue pigment that comes from blue-green algae, but be mindful when you’re shopping. A lot of the options out there lean towards the green, more than the blue. Do your best to grab the all blue powder, which if you can’t find in store, I’ve easily shopped it online.
If you’d like this Ramos Gin Fizz to be Green instead, you can grab the blue-green powder as well, for a beautiful mint colour. Also the great thing about Blue Spirulina is that you can simply add a pinch more to get a more dramatic colour. You don’t need much of the Blue Spirulina to go a long way, and it adds minimal to no taste at all to your cocktail.
Blue Velvet
The classic Ramos Gin Fizz gets a blue makeover, thanks to a small pinch of Blue Spirulina powder.
– Difficulty: Expert
Ingredients
- 2 oz Roku Gin
- 2/3 oz Lemon Juice
- 1/3 oz Orange Juice
- 2/3 oz Simple Syrup 1:1
- 0.5 oz Cream 18%
- 1.5 oz Egg Whites or 1 egg white
- 1 oz Soda
- 6 Blueberries 3 for garnish
- 1 pinch of Blue Spirulina
Instructions
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In a shaker, muddle 3 blueberries. Add the your ingredients except soda. Give this a Dry Shake (without ice).
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Open up the shaker and add ice, shake vigorously.
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Strain into a collins glass filled with ice and top with soda. Garnish with blueberries.
Coconut, Guava & Raspberry Margarita
I’m already drooling thinking about this flavour combination. In this cocktail, I showcase 3 ways in which you can introduce colour. That’s done by a unique syrup (like I did with the Vodka Sour above), using a juice and muddling the actual fruits as well.
With all these colourful spring cocktails, this creation embraces the many natural and easy ways to introduce colour to a cocktail. So this time around, I actually combine all three to bring the perfect hue to the mix. Now you may have noticed that an element of cream is used in all these cocktails, and that’s because it offers a soften hue that pairs perfectly with spring. That’s why I knew I wanted to shake something up with coconut, while still being light on the palate. That’s why I create the Coconut, Sorrel Syrup (find recipe below), and use Coconut Water to the mix.
With my love for Coconut and Guava, this was already giving Tropical vibes for a cocktail, which is why I use Jose Cuervo’s Blue Agave Tequila to shake up a delicious margarita! With the cost of tequila being as high as it is, I love the value that this Jose Cuervo brings without compromising on taste.
The rim that I use for this recipe is an equal combination of Coconut Shreds, Sorrel and Salt, but you can stick to the classic salt rim if you’d prefer. To shake up this delicious margarita, check out the recipe below!
Spring to Cabana
A vibrant, bright and creamy Coconut, Guava and Raspberry Margarita that's perfect for Spring
– Difficulty: Intermediate
Ingredients
- 2 oz Jose Cuervo Blanco Tequila
- 1.5 oz Guava Juice
- 0.75 oz Coconut Sorrel Syrup
- 0.5 oz Coconut Water
- 0.5 oz Lime Juice
- 6 Raspberries 3 for garnish
Instructions
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In a shaker, add all your ingredients. Fill with ice and give this a vigorous shake.
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Double Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice and garnish with raspberries.
Recipe Notes
To make the Coconut Sorrel Syrup, combine 400ml (1 can) of Coconut Cream, 200 ml Granulated Sugar, and 0.5 cup Dried Sorrel (aka Hibiscus Flower) in a small saucepan. Stir til the sugar dissolves and bring this to a boil. Reduce down to simmer, let it simmer for 5 minutes before straining. Let it come to room temperature before storing in fridge. Can last up to 2 weeks.
Colourful Spring Cocktails and Where to Source
I love supporting local shops, but it can be difficult to find these specific items to bring the colour to your cocktail game. For the Butterfly Pea Flower and Blue Spirulina used in this segment, I bought the items online via AMAZON, which I have my store front link attached for you.
If you want to catch more of the Breakfast Television Segments, you can find my recipes and videos HERE.
