Today (March 24) isn’t just one of the first days of spring, it’s National Cocktail Day! As the weather warms up, try one of these recipe variations. And remember, it’s a national holiday.

Red Moon over Manhattan
2 oz. red wine
1/2 oz. bourbon
1/2 oz. simple syrup
1 large round ice sphere
3 gourmet maraschino cherries

Shake all of the ingredients together with ice for 20 seconds. Rub orange peel around the rim of the glass. Add in the ice sphere and strain the cocktail over the ice. Drop one cherry inside the drink and add two more on a twig or cocktail stirrer to garnish the glass!

New York Manhattan
2 parts Hudson Whiskey Manhattan rye
¾ part sweet vermouth
1 dash each of aromatic and orange bitters
orange peel

Add ingredients to a mixing glass and stir (don’t shake!) until well-chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass. Peel a silver dollar-sized twist of orange peel and express oils from the twist onto the surface of the drink and discard. Garnish with a cocktail cherry or two.

Honey Sour
1 ½ parts Drambuie
¾ parts Monkey Shoulder
¾ part Lemon juice
3 slices ginger
Angostura bitters
egg white

Muddle ginger with Drambuie, then add the other ingredients. Dry shake, then add ice and shake again. Fine strain out the ginger and garnish with Angostura bitters.

Tokyo Mule
Courtesy of Sugar and Charm
1 ½ oz. Smirnoff vodka
1 oz. unfiltered sake
3/4 ounce spicy ginger syrup
4 oz. sparkling water
1/2 cucumber, juiced
1/2 lime

Add all of the ingredients except the cucumber and lime into a copper mug. Use a squeezer over the mug to get juice out of the cucumber and lime. Top with ice and stir.

Meat and Potatoes Martini
Courtesy of Blue Ice Vodka
2 ½ oz. Blue Ice vodka
1/2 oz. dry vermouth
1/4 oz. olive brine
1/2 tsp. Del Maguey Pechuga Mezcal

Stir all ingredients except the mescal with ice in mixing glass. Rinse martini glass with Del Maguey Pechuga mezcal. Strain the mixing glass concoction into the martini glass. Garnish with olives and a twist of lemon.

Reyka Southside
2 parts Reyka vodka
1 part fresh lime juice
¾ part simple syrup
4-6 Mint leaves

Combine all ingredients together in cocktail shaker except for one mint leaf. Shake and double strain into a coupe glass with a mint leaf garnish.

Guinness Wilde Oscar Old Fashioned
Courtesy of NYC Bartender, Anthony Malone and Arts Theatre Club
A dash of cherry or angostura bitters
1 ½ oz bourbon
1 oz. Guinness Extra Stout
½ oz. simple syrup
Orange peel

Pour ingredients into a shaker glass with ice. Stir and pour into a rocks glass. Squeeze orange oils from peel into the glass and then toss the orange peel slice in. Serve.

Sailor Jerry’s Ginger Apple Cooler
1 part Sailor Jerry Spiced rum
½ part ginger syrup
¾ part apple juice
¼ part fresh lemon juice
1 ½ parts Q Club Soda
candied ginger

In empty mixing glass, measure Sailor Jerry. Add ginger syrup, apple juice, and fresh lemon juice. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled highball glass and fill with ice. Top with soda water and garnish with candied ginger.

Chambord Margarita
Courtesy of Food 52
This recipe officially calls to be frozen ahead of time but we see no reason to wait! Serves 4.
32 oz. water
12 oz. can of frozen limeade
1 ½ Tbsp. lime juice
12 oz. good Tequila
6 oz. triple sec
8 oz. Chambord

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients, whisk together until completely combined. Give it a taste and adjust to your liking. Pour into margarita glasses and serve.

Smoke and Fire Margarita
¾ part Montelobos Mezcal
¾ part Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
¾ part Milagro Silver Tequila
1 part fresh lime juice
½ part agave nectar
lime wedge

Using a lime wedge, wet the rim of an old fashioned glass, salt it, and set aside. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, shake, and double strain over fresh ice into the glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Smoking Rose Paloma
Recipe by Ashley Conway
5 parts Q Drinks Grapefruit Soda
2 parts Montelobos mezcal
¾ part fresh lime juice
½ part rose simple syrup

For the flower ice: fill a glass 1/4 the way full with water. Add rose petals. Prop on it’s side in the freezer, making sure it doesn’t spill. Let freeze completely before using. This is an optional step, if you are looking to make a drink ASAP (we all have those days), just add regular ice to the glass. But if you do take the time for this step, it makes one pretty cocktail!

Add all liquid ingredients except Grapefruit Soda into a shaker. Shake well to help dilute the cocktail a bit since the ice in the glass won’t melt as fast. Remove the glass from the freezer. Strain into the glass. Top with the Grapefruit Soda and stir. Garnish with grapefruit slice.