The Russian Spring Punch recipe
Dick Bradsell's party punch
Fill a highball glass to the rim with ice so the glass gets cold in advance.
Pour the vodka, lemon juice, crème de cassis and sugar syrup into a shaker with ice.
Shake for 12 seconds and strain the cocktail over the ice in the glass.
Slowly top up with cold brut sparkling wine and carefully move the bar spoon through the glass once from bottom to top.
Garnish with three blackberries and, optionally, a lemon slice.
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The story
The Russian Spring Punch is attributed to Dick Bradsell, the London bartender who also created the Bramble and the Espresso Martini. The exact year is uncertain. It was in the 1980s, and according to his own recollection, at least before 1988. The story goes that he created the recipe for two friends throwing a party on a tight budget: every guest brought a bottle of sparkling wine, and the base of vodka, lemon and crème de cassis turned it into a punch. He later explained the name as follows: Russian for the vodka, punch because the drink loosely follows the principles of punch, and spring because he saw it as a refreshing spring drink, in the vein of the Collins and the Fizz. Today, it appears on the official IBA list in the New Era category.
The right glass
The IBA specifies a high tumbler, which in practice means a highball glass. You need room for plenty of ice, 7.5 cl of shaken base and a generous splash of bubbles, so choose a glass of 33 to 47 cl. A narrow, tall glass retains carbonation longer than a wide glass because the bubbles have less surface area through which to escape. Fill the glass with ice beforehand to keep the wine cold. View our highball glasses.
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The right tools
For a Russian Spring Punch, in addition to the glass, you use a Boston shaker, a jigger for precise measuring, a cocktail strainer, a fine strainer for double straining, and a citrus press. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 5 bar tools together € 134,70.
What do you make a Russian Spring Punch with?
For a Russian Spring Punch, you need vodka and champagne. Well-known bottles include Crème de Cassis and Ketel One Vodka. On every drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works well in, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
The IBA leaves the choice of sparkling wine open. Bradsell used champagne; cava or a dry crémant gives almost the same result for less money. Prosecco is sweeter and fruitier, so use half a centilitre of sugar syrup. If you replace the cassis with crème de mûre, you get close to a Bramble. Without vodka and lemon, you are left with a Kir Royal, and with gin and no cassis, you essentially have a French 75.
Serving tip
Keep the sparkling wine refrigerated until the last moment and pour it into the glass at an angle along the inside, so it foams less. A 75 cl bottle is enough for approximately nine glasses. Place the blackberries on top of the ice so they remain visible and do not sink to the bottom.
Good to know
Making Russian Spring Punch without a shaker
If you do not have a shaker, use a clean jam jar with a tightly fitting lid. Add the vodka, lemon juice, cassis and sugar syrup to the jar with a handful of ice, close the lid tightly and shake for twelve seconds. Pour the contents through a tea strainer into the glass with fresh ice, so no ice chips end up in the drink. Alternatively, mix the four ingredients directly in the glass over ice, stir for ten seconds, and only then add the bubbles. The drink will be slightly less cold and fresh, but the difference is small.
Which crème de cassis should you choose
Crème de cassis is a blackcurrant liqueur, usually containing between 15 and 20 percent alcohol and quite sweet. The best-known version comes from the area around Dijon in Burgundy. The more berries it contains, the deeper the color and the less candy-like the flavor. Taste it neat: it should taste of fruit, not syrup. Store an opened bottle in the refrigerator; the flavor will stay fresh for a few months. At 1.5 cl per glass, one bottle will last a long time, and you can use the rest for a Kir or Kir Royal.
Russian Spring Punch for a group
The name says it all: this is a drink to share. For ten glasses, mix 25 cl vodka, 25 cl fresh lemon juice, 15 cl crème de cassis and 10 cl sugar syrup in a bottle and refrigerate for at least an hour. To serve, pour 7.5 cl of the base over plenty of ice in each glass and top up with chilled bubbles. This way, you do not have to shake each glass individually, and the sparkling wine stays fresh. Never mix the wine into the base beforehand, as you will lose the carbonation within fifteen minutes.
Difference between Kir Royal and Bramble
Three drinks with black or dark fruit, each with a different purpose. The Kir Royal is the simplest: crème de cassis with champagne in a flute, without spirits and without acidity. The Bramble is a short gin cocktail with lemon, sugar syrup and crème de mûre drizzled over crushed ice. The Russian Spring Punch falls between them: the cassis and bubbles of the Kir Royal, the tart lemon base of the Bramble, but with vodka and served as a long drink. As a result, it is fresher than the Kir Royal and lighter than the Bramble.
How much alcohol is in a Russian Spring Punch
Expect about 12 percent in the glass. The 2.5 cl of 40-percent vodka provides 1 cl of pure alcohol, the 1.5 cl of crème de cassis adds just over 0.2 cl, and the 8 cl of 12-percent sparkling wine contributes almost 1 cl. Together, that is about 2.2 cl of pure alcohol, equivalent to almost two standard drinks. The volume rises to around 18 cl with meltwater. Because the bubbles and fruit conceal the alcohol well, it tastes lighter than it is. That is exactly what happened at Bradsell's first party.
Alcohol-free Russian Spring Punch
For an alcohol-free version, leave out the vodka and replace the crème de cassis with 2 cl blackcurrant syrup. Shake it with 2.5 cl fresh lemon juice and 1 cl water, so the drink keeps its fresh, tart base. Strain over ice and top up with alcohol-free sparkling wine or, for a drier version, cold sparkling water. Taste before serving: syrup is sweeter than liqueur, so you may need a little more lemon. Garnish it just like the original with blackberries, so no one can tell which glass is which.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a Russian Spring Punch?
A Russian Spring Punch consists of 2.5 cl vodka, 2.5 cl fresh lemon juice, 1.5 cl crème de cassis and 1 cl sugar syrup, shaken and strained over ice. Then top it up with dry sparkling wine. Blackberries and a lemon slice complete it.
Can you use prosecco in a Russian Spring Punch?
Yes, but prosecco is sweeter and fruitier than champagne or cava. Reduce the sugar syrup to half a centilitre, otherwise the drink will be sticky. Choose a prosecco labelled brut; confusingly, extra dry is sweeter than brut.
Why is it called a Russian Spring Punch?
The name is explained as a combination: Russian refers to the vodka, punch because the drink is loosely based on a punch, and spring for the fresh character of a spring drink. The cocktail otherwise has nothing to do with Russia; it comes from London.
Which glass do you use for a Russian Spring Punch?
A tall long-drink glass holding 33 to 47 cl, filled with ice. The IBA calls it a tall tumbler. A narrow glass keeps the bubbles in longer and shows off the deep red colour and the blackberries.
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