Spring is in the air. Can you feel it? Slowly the temperature is climbing and the trees are starting to sprout little shoots of green. Local bartenders are getting into the season with a veritable bouquet of springy cocktails. Whether through syrups, infused spirits or mixers, flowers are making their way into our drinks. These elixirs sound deceptively dandy, but gentlemen beware: these fragrant fizzes pack serious punch.

The Flower: Orange Blossom
The Cocktail: Ginsai
The Spot: Kaizan
Admittedly, the interior of the Academy House’s resident Japonaise is a little on the dark and moody side, but a sip of one of their fresh, well-balanced cocktails will transport the drinker to somewhere lighter and brighter. Blended with local Bluecoat gin and hand-squeezed tangerine juice, the orange-blossom water (distilled H2O blended with the essential oils from the small white flowers that grow on orange trees) is what gives the Ginsai cocktail a floral perfume that teases your nose each time you lift your oversized martini glass.

The Flower: Hibiscus
The Cocktail: El Chapulin Colorado
The Spot: Xochitl
In the magic land known as Mexico, natives sip agua de Jamaica to cool their internal thermostats. Made by steeping hibiscus flowers, chilling the brew and sweetening, this agua fresca is sort of like a south-of-the-border iced tea with a tart, floral taste. At Xochitl, bartenders mix hibiscus water with Sauza Hornitos and Pama pomegranate liqueur to create the El Chapulin Colorado, served on the rocks with a peppered rim.

The Flower: Lavender and Violet
The Cocktail: Blueberry Lavender Martini
The Spot: Nectar
The purple Provencal bloom isn’t shy at this Buddakan-ish pan-Asian spot in Berwyn. Lavender syrup and Parfait Amour (a vivid liqueur made from violets) double up the flower power in this vibrant martini mixed with blueberry Stoli and garnished with a sprig of fresh lavender.

The Flower: Elderflower
The Cocktail: Elderflower & Prosecco
The Spot: James
Holy Manhattan cocktail prices, Batman! This Bellini riff from the James drink menu costs $14, but the marriage of effervescent Prosecco, blood orange juice and St. Germain elderflower liqueur is like rolling down a blooming hillside at the foot of the Alps, where the white blossoms of the elder trees are picked by hand and used in making the captivating, subtly floral French digestif.

The Flower: Rose
The Cocktail: Rosepetal Martini
The Spot: Alfa
Everything’s coming up roses at this swank Rittenhouse resto-lounge. Divided into “For the Ladies,” “For the Alfa Males,” and “For Bartenders,” Alfa’s new cocktail menu is flavored with a heady mix of infused spirits, muddled herbs and esoteric liqueurs. The Rosepetal Martini gets its pink blush and flowery fragrance from French Monin rose syrup, which Alfa bartenders mix with Tanqueray Rangpur gin, fresh-squeezed lime juice and sparkling Cava rose.