Russian Spring Punch Recipe | co*cktail Society (2024)

By Timo Torner/ Last updated on October 4, 2023

The Russian Spring Punch is a boozy co*cktail created by Dick Bradsell in the 1980s. A spiked version of a Kir Royale that will get your party started. -Guaranteed!

When influential bartender Dick Bradsell made the Russian Spring Punch for the first time, he had no idea how vicious the concoction was. According to him, at the party for which he created the co*cktail, "people started falling from stairs and dancing around in wild abandon."

One reason the Russian Spring Punch is such a knock-out of a co*cktail is the fact that it intentionally does not follow the principles of a punch but still looks like a light sip.

Quick Facts Russian Spring Punch

• Method:shaken
• Flavor profile:fruity, boozy, slightly dry
• How to serve it:over ice
• Best glassware:highball glass
• Alcohol content:~ 15%, 27 grams of alcohol per serving

Traditionally, you make a punch according to the punch formula:

"One sweet, two sour, three strong, and four weak." The Russian Spring Punch does obey the first three but not the weak part. So instead of non-alcoholic ingredients like fruit juice or soda, the co*cktail gets topped with champagne.

About the Ingredients of the Russian Spring Punch

In 1998 the late Dick Bradsell told Class Magazine how he created the drink. Served in a Collins glass, he used 50ml of vodka, 25ml lemon juice, two teaspoons ofsimple syrup, and two teaspoons of cassis.

He topped the co*cktail with champagne and garnished it with a slice of lemon and fresh berries. -And that's still what you need to create a Russian Spring Punch: Vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup, Creme de cassis, and a bottle of bubbly.

Crème de Cassisis a slightly sour, fruity black currant liqueur that you also need to make the Kir and the Kir Royal. If you want arecommendation, I like to use Drillaud. It is excellent value for money.

The bubbly does not have to be champagne. A goodProsecco or Cavaalso works. But make it a quality one with high carbonation. Otherwise, your drink will fall flat, and it has a reputation to live up to!

Tips for Mixing

There are three main things to keep in mind when mixing the Russian Spring Punch:

• First, you want your drink to beice cold- so mix and serve with plenty of ice and keep the champagne in the fridge before topping up your co*cktail.
• Second, you want your drink to berefreshing and fizzy. Therefore, when using Prosecco (a very common choice for this recipe), use a spumante, not a frizzante. - And one that you opened only recently too.
• Usefresh lemon juicefrom fresh, ripe lemons. Bottled juice from concentrate is a real let-down in co*cktails as it never delivers on the tangy taste of fresh fruit.

History of the Russian Spring Punch co*cktail

The co*cktail has its origins in London in the 1980s. The exact year remains a secret because not even his inventor seems to remember it. However, according to Bradsell, it was definitely before his daughter was born in 1988.

Bradsell thought up the recipe for the drink for two of his friends. They wanted to throw a fancy co*cktail party but didn't have the funding. Therefore, Bradsell recommended asking their guest to bring a bottle of champagne each, and he would create a special co*cktail using it.

That way, the guests would cover the lion's share of expensive ingredients themselves. Plus, they would be responsible for the quality of their drink. Poor bubbly would consequently lead to a lower-quality co*cktail.

Bradsell prepared glasses and filled each with a mix of vodka, lemon juice, sugar, cassis, and ice. Each person could use up the bottle they brought and as many vodka shots as they could handle.

What happened was wild. The punch was a lot stronger than what it looked or tasted like - and way too easy to drink. Allegedly, people soon lost control and started dancing like crazy, falling down the stairs, etc., etc. According to Bradsell, the scenery must have been epic.

Why it's called Russian Spring Punch

Bradsell revealed how he came up with the name for the co*cktail.

First, as the drink loosely builds on the principle of a classic punch, he wanted to include that in the name. -Even though omitting the weak part makes this one hell of a punch.

Using vodka as the base spirit led to the term 'Russian'. Further, because the whole drink is reminiscent of a Fizz orCollins drink(both are spring co*cktails), Bradsell came up with the 'Spring' part in the name.

Related Recipes

For more drinks with sparkling champagne, try these recipes:

• The French 75 - a boozy mix of champagne, gin, and lemon.
• The Andean Dusk with Pisco, lemon, syrup, and bubbly.
• The Old Cuban - a fizzy twist on the Mojito.