Spring Fever

There’s something special about a glass of chilled, sparkling rosé, especially on a warm spring day or summer evening. And while it’s perfectly satisfying to pop open a bottle of your favorite effervescent pink wine and pour a glass (or three), there’s always room to enhance the experience. The Spring Fever comes from Jamie Steinberg, the general manager of Motel Morris in New York City, Steinberg adds a floral syrup, fresh fruit and bitters to a glass of rosé to craft a delicious warm weather treat.

The New York bar director strongly suggests using Sassetti vino spumante rosé, his favorite sparkling rosé from Italy. Of course, he says, any quality pink bubbles will do to make this flower-forward, sweet, tart and festive cocktail. Aside from the rosé, the use of Nikolaihof elderflower syrup is a key ingredient to help give it a romantic tinge—the kind of drink you can imagine tasting in the garden of a queen. However, if you want increase the drink’s potency, you can swap the elderflower syrup for elderflower liqueur. St-Germain is far and away the most ubiquitous and recognizable brand, but others have sprung up in recent years as well.

Another suggestion to give the drink a kick: Add an ounce of cucumber gin like Hendrick’s to help enhance both the booze level and that pretty floral essence. You could also use vodka, while a white rum would increase the fruitiness and grassy notes. Stay away from brown spirits unless you want a murky, muddled drink.

Lastly, along with lemon juice and quartered strawberries, the Spring Fever gets a few dashes of rhubarb bitters. These can also be used to add additional depth and complexity to your favorite Margarita or Daiquiri recipe, and a number of fun rhubarb drinks call for them, as well.

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