To everything there is a season. Even drinking. And, while our almanac can’t predict the best day to plant your summer garden or reveal the date to watch the next lunar eclipse, it can ensure that you’ll have the right drink at the right time of year. (A critical issue for booze-focused travelers, we know.) Find the perfect cocktail for the season you’re in—and get inspiration for where to drink next.
Spring: The Hugo, Germany
- The ingredients: Mint leaves, St. Germain, prosecco, lemon wedge
- The toast: “Zum Wohl!” (“To your health”)
A bubbly bouquet of a cocktail, the Hugo may trace its origin to the Tirol region of Italy (it’s a kissing cousin to the spritz), but Germany has adopted the drink as a spring-weather favorite. An effervescent combination of prosecco, elderflower liqueur, fresh mint, and lemon, the Hugo is particularly beloved in the spa town of Baden-Baden, where visitors can enjoy one after luxuriating in the city’s famed mineral baths.
Make it at home
In a wine glass, combine three to four sprigs of fresh mint with half an ounce of elderflower liqueur such as St. Germain and lightly muddle. Add ice to fill one-fourth of the glass, then top with prosecco or champagne. Garnish with extra mint leaves and a lemon wedge. Makes one cocktail.
Summer: Terremoto, Chile
- The ingredients: Pipeño, grenadine, pineapple sherbet
- The toast: “Salud!” (“Good health”)
Terremoto means “earthquake” in Spanish, and it’s no wonder: This cocktail piles on the vices with a one-two punch of pineapple ice cream and (yes, really) at least 16 ounces of a fortified wine known as pipeño, for an adults-only ice cream float. Served in cafés across Santiago, it often arrives in a liter glass for the first round. The second round? A mere half-liter réplica, or “aftershock.”
Make it at home
Very little pipeño is imported from Chile, but your favorite white wine that skews a little sweet will do the trick. For a version that’ll leave you standing, fill a rocks glass halfway with wine and add half an ounce of grenadine. Plop in a scoop of pineapple sherbet or ice cream, and you’re set. Makes one moderate cocktail.
Fall: Kompot, Ukraine
- The ingredients: Vodka, sugar, fruit liqueur, fruit
- The toast: “Bud’mo!” (“May we live forever”)
Across Eastern Europe, chefs and home cooks boil summer’s bounty—apples, cherries, even prunes—with sugar, and water to make kompot, a nonalcoholic drink that’s stored until the fall (and beyond). In Ukraine, adults spike it with a healthy dose of horilka (vodka) to make that first cold snap a bit easier to bear.
Make it at home
In a small bowl, combine one whole egg with 2½ teaspoons of white sugar, whisking until completely combined. Heat (but don’t boil) one cup of sake in a heavy-bottom saucepan, then pull it off the heat and allow it to cool slightly. While the sake is still warm, pout into the egg mixture, whisking until completely combined and a little frothy. Transfer to a mug and drink immediately. Makes one cocktail.
Winter: Tamagozake, Japan
- The ingredients: Egg, sugar, sake, ginger
- The toast: “Kanpai!” (“Dry the glass”)
Tamagozake is Japan’s version of a hot toddy, an old-school, wintertime remedy for everything from a fever to the sniffles. The cocktail is essentially a sake-based eggnog, sometimes made with ginger for an added health boost. Those who swear by it say that the sake aids sleep and the eggs strengthen the immune system. Plus, it’s delicious.
Make it at home
In a small bowl, combine one whole egg with 2½ teaspoons of white sugar, whisking until completely combined. Heat (but don’t boil) one cup of sake in a heavy-bottom saucepan, then pull it off the heat and allow it to cool slightly. While the sake is still warm, pout into the egg mixture, whisking until completely combined and a little frothy. Transfer to a mug and drink immediately. Makes one cocktail.
