Rhubarb Collins
pink, fresh, and homemade
First make the syrup: gently simmer 300 g chopped rhubarb with 150 g sugar and 15 cl water for ten minutes, pour everything through a fine sieve without pressing, and leave to cool.
Fill a highball glass to the rim with ice cubes.
Shake the gin, rhubarb syrup, and lemon juice with ice for ten seconds.
Strain the cocktail into the glass and top up with cold sparkling water.
Stir once from bottom to top and garnish with a lemon slice.
What did you think of this recipe?
One click on a star is enough. If you’d like to add something, we’ll read it first before it appears here.
Save this recipe
Send the Spring Cocktails recipe to your email so you have it at hand when you are about to make it. You’ll also receive a €5 discount code on purchases from €50, for the glasses that go with it.
What makes a cocktail taste like spring
After a winter full of bourbon, cream, and spices, you want something light to drink. That is why spring cocktails are fresher and often lower in alcohol: gin, white vermouth, Lillet, and prosecco instead of aged spirits. The flavor comes from what is growing at that time. Rhubarb is available from April through the end of June and adds a tart, fruity pink hue. Elderflower blooms in May and June and is the basis of the Hugo Spritz. Fresh mint and basil are full of flavor again, and Dutch strawberries arrive in stores from May. Use syrup sparingly, because spring flavors are subtle and disappear under too much sugar. A long drink with sparkling water or a fresh sour in a coupe, such as the honey-based Bee's Knees, is the perfect match for the first sunny afternoon.
The right glass
A Collins is served in a tall, straight long drink glass holding 35 to 47 cl. Its height keeps the sparkling water fizzy for longer because the surface area is small relative to the contents, and it can hold a full serving of ice. For the short sours in this list, such as the Aviation, use a coupe; for a spritz, use a large wine glass. You can find all tall models in the long drink glasses collection.
Bormioli Rocco Diamond Long Drink Glass 47 cl (6 pieces)
Arcoroc Islande Long Drink Glass 33 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 35,90.
The right tools
For these spring cocktails, in addition to a glass, you use a shaker, a jigger for precise measuring, a fine strainer for double straining, a citrus squeezer, and long ice sticks. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 5 bar tools together € 149,70.
What do you make these spring cocktails with?
For these spring cocktails, you need gin and prosecco. Popular bottles include Hendrick's, Gordon's, and Lillet. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it pairs with, and which glass you need.
Seven cocktails for spring
Good to know
Making and storing rhubarb syrup
With 300 grams of rhubarb, 150 grams of sugar and 15 cl of water, you can make about 30 cl of syrup, enough for twelve cocktails. Choose red stalks for the color; green rhubarb produces a dull, brownish-green syrup. There is no need to peel it. Cut the stalks into two-centimeter pieces, simmer them gently for ten minutes until they fall apart, then pour everything through a fine sieve. Do not press the pulp, so the syrup stays clear. In a clean, sealed bottle, it keeps for two weeks in the refrigerator. The leftover pulp is delicious stirred into yogurt.
Cocktails for the Easter brunch
A brunch calls for cocktails with little alcohol and lots of fruit, because you drink them during the day and with food. The Mimosa is the best known: equal parts chilled sparkling wine and freshly squeezed orange juice, without a shaker. The Bellini uses peach purée and is slightly sweeter. Make the Rhubarb Collins lighter with 3 cl of gin and a little extra sparkling water. Chill the sparkling wine, juice and glasses beforehand, pour in the juice first and then slowly add the sparkling wine, so you do not need to stir. Allow for two glasses per guest.
Elderflower: syrup or liqueur
Elderflower smells of honey, pear and muscat grapes, and you use it as a syrup or liqueur. Syrup is alcohol-free and sweet: 2 cl in a glass of prosecco with mint and lime makes a Hugo. Liqueur, such as St-Germain, has 20 percent alcohol and a fuller aroma, and replaces the syrup one-to-one. In May and June, you can make your own syrup from elderflower heads: pick them on a dry morning, leave them to infuse overnight in sugar water with lemon, then strain. Elderflower also pairs well with a gin and tonic: 1 cl of syrup is enough.
Non-alcoholic spring cocktails
Rhubarb syrup is one of the easiest bases for an alcohol-free cocktail because it is already tart and fruity. Pour 3 cl of syrup and 2 cl of lemon juice into an ice-filled highball glass and top up with 12 cl of sparkling water or tonic; tonic adds the bitter note that gin would otherwise provide. A basil leaf or a strip of cucumber completes it. If you want to stay closer to the original, use a non-alcoholic gin, as in the non-alcoholic gin and tonic. More recipes can be found in the Mocktails section.
Frequently asked questions
Which cocktails are suited to spring?
Light cocktails with gin, prosecco or white vermouth, and fresh flavors such as rhubarb, elderflower, mint and strawberry. Think of a Rhubarb Collins, Hugo Spritz, South Side or Bee's Knees. They are less sweet and less heavy than winter cocktails, and most are served long with plenty of ice.
Which glass do you use for spring cocktails?
For long cocktails with sparkling water, use a straight highball glass of 35 to 47 cl; for spritzes, a large wine glass; and for short sours, a coupe. With these three glasses, you can serve every recipe on this page. Also view the coupes for the Aviation and the Bee's Knees.
When is rhubarb in season?
Dutch field-grown rhubarb is available in stores from April through the end of June. Greenhouse rhubarb is available earlier, from the end of winter, and is more tender and less sour. Traditionally, harvesting stops around the summer solstice, allowing the plant to recover for the following year.
What can you use instead of rhubarb syrup?
With raspberry syrup, which gives the same pink color but is sweeter; use 2 cl of syrup and 2.5 cl of lemon juice. Strawberry syrup also works. Ready-made rhubarb syrup from the store is often sweeter than homemade, so start with 2 cl and taste before adding more.
Everything for your table,
to one address
Glasses in hospitality quality, delivered as a set. Order today, delivered quickly.
Shop the glasses →