The Russian Spring Punch Recipe

Posted in Vodka on March 6, 2014

As its name suggests, the Russian Spring Punch is a vodka based cocktail. It is perfect for spring days because it is indeed pretty refreshing. The fact that it also contains champagne makes it an elegant and refined drink.

The Russian Spring Punch was invented in the 80s by a bartender in London. His name was Dick Bradsell and he is quite famous for his numerous inventions. He is the one who came up with the idea for the Vodka Espresso, among other things. Dick is colloquially known as the Godfather of modern mixology.

You have probably come across numerous cocktail recipes that were calling for improvisation. There are cocktails which enable you to experiment with the ingredients and with the proportions and to adjust them to your particular taste. The Russian Spring Punch is not one of those cocktails. It is best to stick to the original recipe and to respect the proportions because otherwise the concoction might become unpalatable. This does not mean that you can’t put your ideas in practice. It just means that this cocktail is perfect as it is and it doesn’t need adjusting. You can start with preparing the original recipe in order to make a general impression on the taste that it should have. If you really want to, you can operate your changes on it, but make sure you compare your result with the original cocktail.

The Recipe for the Russian Spring Punch

You need the following ingredients:

  • ¾ oz. of vodka.
  • ¾ oz. of lemon juice.
  • 2 bar spoons of sugar syrup.
  • 3 bar spoons of crème de cassis.
  • Champagne.

Shake all the ingredients except the champagne and then strain them into a highball glass. Top up with champagne and garnish with a lemon wedge.

The quality of your Russian Spring Punch is going to be influenced by the vodka and the champagne you are using, so don’t necessarily go for the cheapest varieties. Also, the sweetness and the strength of crème de cassis can influence the result. Here is where you can experiment a little. Put less crème de cassis if you have bought a sweeter variety. Also, you can replace the sugar syrup with one bar spoon of white sugar.

Another version of the Russian Spring Punch also uses fresh strawberries. Besides the above mentioned cocktails you also need around 7 fresh strawberries and ¼ shot of crème de framboise. Start by muddling the strawberries in the shaker and then add all the ingredients except the champagne. Shake them well, strain them and top up with champagne.

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