CAUGHT BETWEEN THE BOOZY DARK DRINKS OF WINTER AND THE REFRESHING THIRST-QUENCHERS OF SUMMER, SPRING IS A COCKTAIL LOVER’S DREAM — A CHANCE TO REVEL IN TANGY CITRUS, BRIGHT HERBS, FUN SPICES AND MORE TECHNICAL RECIPES. While highball and spritz weather is knocking on the door, you can concentrate on classic sours, flips, floats and daisies from the recipe canon. In short, it’s a chance to bust out your best cocktail moves before the heat sets in and no one wants anything complicated.

Whether you’re an occasional tinkerer or full-blown kitchen scientist, citrus is an easy place to start if you want to put your own spin on a drink. We’re lucky to get quality citrus year-round here in Hawai‘i, but it truly shines come spring. Think beyond your basic lemon and lime to grapefruit, pomelo, tangerine, calamansi, kumquat, yuzu, blood orange and mandarin. When you’re experimenting, a good rule of thumb is to try a solid recipe but sub in a like ingredient for a twist, such as tangerine for orange, or yuzu for Meyer lemon.

Choose a citrus-forward template to start—think daiquiris, southsides, sours and gimlets, such as the recipe below. If you’re new to designing your own cocktails, remember that once you add citrus to a cocktail, you’re likely going to want to shake—not stir—the ingredients for aeration before straining it into your glass.

Next up: fresh herbs. Basil, rosemary, sage, or mint will give almost any cocktail a bright springy aura. Be forewarned that it doesn’t take much to get the flavor—no need to muddle your herbs to a pulp, just a gentle crush is fine—or even soak a sprig or two of fresh herbs in the spirit for 20-30 minutes ahead of time for a more subtle infusion.

When it comes to adding spices, you’ve got a couple of options. The easiest and fastest way to add flavor with spices or roots like ginger or turmeric is to incorporate them in a simple syrup (see Gimlet recipe below). Alternatively if you have some time, you can make a tincture by soaking spices in a spirit for a few days or more. Use vodka for the cleanest flavor, but any alcohol will work. Crushing or grating spices and roots will make this process go faster; make sure you use a fine strainer to catch all the particulates. Once your tincture is ready, you can add drops of it to your cocktail mix but be careful—a little goes a long way.

For the easiest spin on spring cocktails—no kitchen prep required at all—consider picking up a bottle of something a little unusual. Aquavit makes a fine alternative to gin for something with spice infused flavor. Gently aged spirits—reposado tequila or golden rum—are perfect for the season and subtly change the flavor of familiar cocktails. Consider adding to your amaro stash with a bottle of Amaro Nonino, a key ingredient in the super easy-to-master Paper Plane (recipe below.)

Whatever direction you pick—a more involved cocktail experiment or a just-off-the-shelf crowd-pleaser—remember to have fun with it. We’ve got two recipes to get you started below.

BLACK PEPPER GRAPEFRUIT GIMLET

Serves 1

The addition of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice on the classic proportions of the Gimlet (essentially a Gin Sour) makes this version a little fruitier, but a black pepper simple syrup helps bring balance, warmth and a smoky glow.

• 2 ounces gin
• 1 ounce grapefruit juice
• 3⁄4 ounce lime juice
• 3⁄4 ounce black pepper simple syrup (see note)

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Cover and shake until chilled, around 15-20 seconds. Strain into a coupe. Garnish with a lime wheel or mint sprig.

Note:

Black pepper simple syrup
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 cup water
• 10-20 whole black peppercorns

In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients. Heat over medium high heat until the sugar has dissolved, then take off the heat. Let the mixture sit for at least 20 minutes before straining out the peppercorns. This can be stored in your refrigerator for up to two weeks.

PAPER PLANE

Serves 1

This equal-parts cocktail couldn’t be simpler to remember, but has all the ingredients for the perfect spring mix: bourbon for weight, amaros for bit- tersweet intrigue and lemon juice to brighten it all up.

• 3⁄4 ounce bourbon
• 3⁄4 ounce Aperol
• 3⁄4 ounce Amaro Nonino 3⁄4 ounce lemon juice Garnish: lemon wheel

Add all the ingredients to a mixing tin with ice. Shake until chilled, around 15-20 seconds. Strain into a coupe. Garnish with a lemon wheel.