What To Read & What To Sip This April

By Claire Gaura - Cocktail & Book Club Contributor

April carries a quiet sense of renewal. The days stretch a little longer, gardens begin to bloom and the first truly warm afternoons invite us to slow down and spend more time outside. It’s the kind of month that calls for something uplifting to read and something fresh to sip, small rituals that mark the beginning of spring. 

Alongside our Book of the Month, we’re sharing an additional April recommendation, a novel that captures the gentle optimism of the season, paired with a cocktail that feels just as light and bright. 

Few books feel more perfectly suited to spring than The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim.

First published in 1922, the novel begins with a simple newsletter advertisement offering the chance to rent a castle on the Italian Riviera for the month of April. Four very different women answer the call: the timid Mrs Wilkins, the reserved Mrs Arbuthnot, the widowed Mrs Fisher and the beautiful socialite Lady Caroline Dester. 

Strangers at first, the women travel together to the sun drenched villa, unsure what the experience might bring. But as the days pass, the warmth of the Italian landscape, the scent of blossoming gardens and the slower rhythm of life begin to work their quiet magic. What begins as an uneasy arrangement gradually transforms into something far more meaningful. 

Gentle, witty and full of warmth, The Enchanted April is a novel about friendship, renewal and small joys that can emerge when we step away from our ordinary lives. 

To accompany it, we’ve chosen the delicate and floral Hugo Spritz. 

Made with prosecco, elderflower liqueur, soda water, fresh mint and lime, the Hugo Spritz is a lighter, more fragrant take on the classic Italian spritz. Its soft floral notes and refreshing citrus finish make it feel especially suited to early spring, bright, elegant and effortlessly uplifting. 

Severed over ice and garnished with mint leaves, it’s the kind of drink that belongs on a sunlit terrace or beside an open window on a warm afternoon. And for those feeling a little more adventurous, a splash of raspberry or pomegranate syrup adds a subtle fruitiness while keeping the drink’s delicate floral character intact. 

Together, The Enchanted April and a Hugo Spritz evoke the same atmosphere, sunlight, gardens in bloom and the simple pleasure of slowing down. 

Both capture the feeling of stepping away, if only for an hour, into a world that feels softer, warmer and a little more enchanted. 

This April, if you’re looking for a little escapism, settle in with a glass in hand and let the pages transport you to the Italian Riviera.  

Courtesy of Cocktail & Book Club.