Name: Early Spring
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 3 fl oz Soda Water; 1.5 fl oz Rhubarb Vodka; 0.5 fl oz Lavender Syrup; 0.33 fl oz Lemon Juice; 3 Dill Sprigs; 1 Edible Flower

This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy here.

Cocktail History

The Early Spring is a modern cocktail that was created in 2021 by Absolut Vodka for the release of their rhubarb edition. The recipe highlights the vodka’s sweet vegetable flavor by pairing it with floral lavender syrup, bright lemon, and dill and tops it all with carbonated soda water.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Soda Water: This is a carbonated beverage made with water and dissolved carbon dioxide gas, which gives it a fizzy, neutral flavor.

Rhubarb Vodka: This is a type of vodka made with fermented grains or potatoes and water, which are distilled and then infused with rhubarb to develop a sweet, tart flavor.

Lavender Syrup: This is a sweetener made with lavender buds, white sugar, and water, which are heated and infused into a syrup with a dry, floral flavor.

Lemon Juice: This is the liquid extracted from the flesh of ripe lemons that has a sweet, tangy flavor and light yellow color.

Dill Sprig: This is an herb.

Flower: This is an edible flower that can be used as a garnish.

Brands I Used

Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Bar Mat: This is a rubber or silicone mat that’s placed on the bar surface and used for catching spills, providing grip for glasses and tools, and keeping the workspace clean and organized.

Jigger: This is a small double-sided tool with different volume measurements on each side that’s used for accurately portioning ingredients.

Boston Shaker: This is a two-piece cocktail shaker made with a large metal tin and a second tin or mixing glass that’s used for shaking and chilling cocktail ingredients.

Hawthorne Strainer: This is a flat metal strainer with a handle and a coiled spring around the edge that’s used for straining shaken cocktails from a shaker while holding back ice and solids.

Cutting Board: This is a flat, durable kitchen surface made from materials like wood or plastic that’s used for slicing ingredients and preparing garnishes.

Paring Knife: This is a small kitchen knife with a narrow, sharp blade that’s used for peeling fruit and trimming garnishes.

Electric Citrus Juicer: This is a kitchen appliance with a motorized reamer that’s used for quickly extracting juice from citrus fruits.

Fine Mesh Strainer: This is a mesh metal strainer with a tightly woven bowl and handle that’s used for straining out small ice shards and other solids while pouring cocktails from a shaker or mixing glass.

Measuring Cup: This is a kitchen tool with a handled cup and marked volume measurements that’s used for accurately measuring and pouring liquid ingredients.

Highball Glass: This is a tall, slim glass that’s used for serving mixed drinks made with a larger proportion of non-alcoholic mixers.

Tools I Used

Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Pale pink-ish purple color with an ombré effect

• Aroma: Sour dill accented with citrus

• Taste: Light-bodied and mostly sweet taste of florals and slightly bitter rhubarb

• Finish: Lavender notes and bubbly soda

Kendall’s Take: “I like it when I come across a simple drink that checks all of the boxes of seasonality. Lavender syrup aside, this cocktail’s ingredients are fairly accessible, and when combined, they create a refreshing spring spritzer that reminds me of a bountiful garden. I would love to sip on an Early Spring while getting my plant starts moved into their new dirt homes at the start of the spring season.”