7 Spring Cocktail Recipes From New York's Best Bartenders

Narcissa: Matt Hunter

One of the most appealing aspects of the new restaurant Narcissa is the farm fresh ingredients, many of which come directly from Andre Balazs' upstate farm the Locusts. This has also been translated into the cocktail program led by Matt Hunter, who rotates the drink menu according to the freshest ingredients of the season. If you haven't already been to one of the hottest restaurants in NYC, here's your reason to go. From: Chicago Experience: Vandaag, The Dressler, Fedora Personal drink of choice: "I drink an IPA with a Fernet back." Spring cocktail: Fly Me to Tulum "Well this is the time of the year when we're getting the freshest citrus from California, grapefruit, blood oranges, oranges, and we're also playing off this effect of pomegranate being in season at the end of winter. This cocktail reminds us of warmer weather, and it's a little bit spicy. It's basically a play on when you drink tequila or mezcal. A lot of times what they do in Oaxaca is they'll drink a sipper of sangrita, with the teqiila or the mezcal, so you'll drink the spirit by itself, neat, and then you'll have a chaser. Typically sangrita will be made with tomato and orange and spice and brightened up with lime juice as well. The sangrita I've chosen to make with the cocktail, the cocktail is basically tequila, mezcal, and the sangrita all together in one cocktail. It's made with house-made grenadine, blood orange, and lime so it's a little bit lighter. We use fresh jalapeno disk when we shake the drink, so you're actually getting the heat from the pit and the seeds, and angosturra bitters to get the cinnamon spicy notes." [Matt Hunter] Fly me to Tulum: 1.5 oz pueblo viejo blanco .5 mezcal vida .75 lime .5 blood orange .5 pomegranate grenadine 2 dashes angostura bitters Shake, double strain over fresh ice with spice mix rubbed rim. The spice mix is 5 tbs sugar, 4 tbs Baleine sea salt. 1 tbs cayenne. Top with 4 drops chipotle tincture and slice of blood orange.