Spring is in full swing and you know what that means: a bevy of fresh, new ingredients to use in your cocktails. Seasonal fruits like strawberries, oranges, and pineapple are sure to be popping up in all sorts of recipes, but our favorite in-season ingredient isn’t a fruit at all. In fact, it’s something we hated for roughly 20 years of our lives. That’s right: We’re talking about peas. The vegetables our mom used to force-feed us as kids have become the star ingredient in our Cocktail of the Month. Made with snap peas, tarragon, lemon juice, and gin, the Green Giant is a creation that’s unexpected yet perfectly unique. “I decided to do a spring menu featuring vegetables, since fruit so often gets to shine,” says Green Giant creator Tom Macy, head bartender of the Clover Club in Brooklyn, NY. “I was perusing the local market and the sugar snap and the tarragon called out to me.” Zesty, herbaceous, and bright, the Green Giant is like spring in a glass. Thanks to the snap peas, it also packs a nutritional punch with high levels of fiber and vitamins C and A. (As if we really needed to give you another reason to drink.) Celebrate the season by whipping up your own Green Giant at home. GREEN GIANT Ingredients 2 ounces gin 3/4 ounce simple syrup 3/4 ounce lemon juice 1/2 ounce dry vermouth 8 tarragon leaves 6 sugar snap pea pods Directions In a cocktail shaker, muddle four of the pea pods with tarragon leaves and simple syrup. Add the remaining ingredients and fill with ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with two pea pods. For more cocktails to welcome the season, read 4 Essential Cocktails to Ring in Spring. Photo credit: Courtesy of Definitive Drinking Guide