If you're anything like me and my fellow teachers (and our students!), you're feeling a little spring fever creeping into your day to day.  It's so lovely outside--something the tall glittery-green aspen trees outside the floor-to-ceiling windows in one of my classrooms remind me.  Then there is the sunlight, that ephemeral gentle kiss of golden splendor that just begs for you to pause a moment under its touch.  Who needs to grade papers when your garden is calling to you?  (Answer: me, but if I get my papers done soon enough, I can ease the throbbing in my green thumb.)  Can't those lesson plans wait in lieu of frolicking outside?  (Answer: no, class is in twenty minutes.) 

Fortunately, there is an antidote to the spring fever that clouds your brain with carefree longings in the midst of the end-of-semester grind--several in fact.  And yes, they come in the form of cocktails, those perfectly crafted restorative liquors that were once, in truth, used for healing minor ailments from ill-humor to stomach aches.  So why not use them to cure a little spring fever?  These cocktails whipped up in my own kitchen are for anyone who needs a little fun after the work-week, not just teachers. 

The prescription is easy: Take one of the below cocktails and mix with a cloudless evening, great company, and good conversation.  Also pairs well with a well-groomed backyard or garden nook.  Repeat as necessary.  Caution: Extreme relaxation and enjoyment may occur. 

1. 3 Citrus-Ginger Gin Fizz

2. Spritz Cocktail

3. Coconut Water-Kiwi-Lime Cocktail

4. Lavender Gimlet

5. Grape & Lime Gin Tonic