Entertaining

The 15 Best Cocktails to Celebrate Easter

This take on a Pisco Sour is as vividly green as Easter basket grass. Made with pisco infused with fresh spring peas and spicy ginger syrup, it’s perfect any time of day—including Easter brunch.

A celebration of La Croix’s best flavor (Pamplemousse), this spritz is extremely chuggable. Luckily, it’s also low on booze, so you can drink as many as you want while you hunt for eggs or nosh on baked ham.

It’s common knowledge that food is just more fun when shaped like an egg—and the same goes for cocktails. While your guests may be too old to run around the backyard searching for candy-filled eggs, you can still satisfy their Easter egg desires with these refreshing and festive Jello Shots. Hardly a consolation prize, the eggs pack serious citrusy punch with lemony soda and a hearty helping of vodka. As fun as searching for plastic eggs may seem, the grass is definitely greener on this side of the bar.

In the case of this cocktail, it is OK to judge a drink by its appearance. The bright orange color warns of the bright, spicy flavors within the glass. This savory Margarita gets a serious kick from chile-infused tequila and chile liqueur. Carrot juice brings some sweetness while mezcal adds a touch of tasty smoke.

A proper Easter party will incorporate all the joys of the season, so hit the garden for an al fresco jamboree. While the kids hunt for eggs, adults can enjoy the great outdoors with one of these fruit forward, low-ABV spritzes in hand. Flavors of subtly bitter Aperol and sweet apricot liqueur blend seamlessly with a topper of Champagne. With winter behind you, it’s the ideal way  to savor the start of a new season.

If you forgot to hard boil and dye the Easter eggs this year, don’t worry—they’ll still be put to good use. Dry shaking egg whites with gin, lemon juice and Earl Grey tea syrup yields a frothy head for this light and floral fizz, but it’s the alluring purple lavender sprig sticking out the top of the foam that makes the drink a sight to behold. Thanks to a few dashes of lavender bitters, the first sip is like leaning in to get a whiff of fragrant bouquet.

Perfect for Easter bunnies and lovers of carrot cake, this cocktail transforms the veggie-flecked dessert into a rich, silky drink fortified with bourbon. Shaken egg white adds froth and a silky texture, also lending a little lightness to the otherwise heavy base of carrot juice. Toasted cumin syrup gives the drink a tickle of spice, resulting in a delightfully dry, complex flavor.

What’s a spring bash without Sangria? While any fruit-filled pitcher is enough to excite a thirsty crowd, this scarlet punch—spiked with rosé and watermelon liqueur—gives the classic wine-tail new life. The first ripe watermelons of the season dot the punch and fill each welcoming cup with the promise of summer bounty ahead.

The perfect brunch drink for sprightly, cotton-tailed drinkers, this Bellini variation will fuel any late-morning festivities. Spiked with peach liqueur and topped with the usual prosecco, the fruity fizz blends elements of the Bellini and Fuzzy Navel—but, thanks to its low ABV, it won’t leave you pooped and over-boozed 30 minutes into the party.

This underrated classic cocktail is sweet, creamy and just a touch tangy. It gets its pale pink color from a splash of grenadine and its frothy topper from shaken egg whites. Don’t sleep on this pretty-as-a-Peep gin drink.

A drink to satisfy all ages is a tricky proposition, but this defanged Paloma nails the challenge. Though it can easily be spiked with a measure of tequila, the mocktail provides enough complex, salty-sweet flavors to make you forget all about the booze—and satisfy younger guests at your Easter party. Whip up a big batch for everyone, then provide the over 21 crowd with supplies to spike theirs as they see fit.

If Cadbury Cream Eggs are an Easter tradition, you’ll love this over-the-top, boozy rendition. White rum, dark rum and Kahlúa mix with the egg’s creamy innards to create a shot, which is gratifyingly sweet with hints of coffee and liquor. The shot is, of course, served in the chocolate shell because Lent is over and you can go as hard as you want.

It might be Easter, but it’s also Sunday, aka the best day of the week to drink a Bloody. Make this pre-batched version the night before and you’ll be ready to go come Sunday brunch. Cut with sherry for a bit of nuance, this easy bottled cocktail will add some savory spice to your Easter morn.

The Pimm’s Cup is a quintessential warm-weather day drink across the pond. Though it’s traditionally sipped courtside at Wimbledon, the fruity, cucumber-garnished Highball is also perfect to drink while you watch the kiddies zigzag across the lawn looking for Easter eggs.

It’s going to be a long day, so start easy with this Aperol-based Spritz. The drink incorporates rose petal syrup, to bring a little bloom to your morning drinking and to infuse your Easter brunch with a bit of floral charm. With a sparkling wine topper and a bittersweet taste, it will have you emerging from your winter cocoon into a summertime, brunching socialite.