Mint, cilantro, rosemary, lavender, basil, tomatoes, strawberries, and blueberries; the list goes on and on. What makes these ingredients so enticing to write about? Well, besides the aromas and flavors, these edible herbs, flowers, and fruits make for really interesting and refreshing ingredients for cocktails. If you’re in NYC and lacking your own outdoor garden as many do, then look no further than your local farmers market and or fresh super market.
To get started on your own at-home garden cocktails, all you need is Cointreau, limes, and either blueberries, strawberries, or basil. All of those ingredients can and will taste great together. The beauty of Cointreau is the orange flavor that meshes well with so many other fruit and herb flavors and has a higher alcohol content per volume at 80 proof, so you won’t have to combine too many spirits to make your cocktail.
Today it’s all about the craft cocktail, and you will notice many restaurants using fresh herbs and ingredients for their drinks this summer. Herb- infused vodkas are becoming so popular and are very easy to make at home with your garden ingredients! If you want to kick up your cocktail just a notch more, then add a little bubble to your drink with a soda siphon to infuse some CO2; you can find them at many stores and they are easy and fun to use.
Below are some garden cocktails to help you get inspired:
Cucumber-Mint Cointreau Rickey (makes 5 drinks)
7 ½ oz. Cointreau
3 ¾ oz. fresh lime juice, strained
20 oz. cold water, filtered
3 Cucumber Wheels (in each glass)
5 Mint Leaves (in each glass)
Prepare batch in a large container and funnel into a siphon. Charge with CO2 and keep on ice or in a refrigerator. Place 3 cucumber wheels and 5 mint leaves in the bottom of each highball glass. Muddle the ingredients in each glass. Pour the carbonated mixture into the glass with ice. Stir briefly. Garnish with a slice of cucumber and mint sprig.
Strawberry-Basil Cointreau Rickey (makes 5 drinks)
7 ½ oz. Cointreau
3 ¾ oz. fresh lime juice, strained
20 oz. cold water, filtered
1 Strawberry, hulled and quartered (in each glass)
2-3 Basil Leaves (in each glass)
Prepare batch in a large container and funnel into a siphon. Charge with CO2 and keep on ice or in a refrigerator. Place 1 strawberry, hulled and quartered and 2-3 basil leaves in the bottom of each highball glass. Muddle the ingredients in each glass. Pour the carbonated mixture into the glass with ice. Stir briefly. Garnish with a strawberry and basil leaf.
Palomita (makes 5 cocktails)
7 ½ oz. Cointreau
2 ½ oz. fresh lime juice, fine strained
15 oz. fresh grapefruit juice, fine-strained
6 ¼ oz. filtered water
Prepare batch in a large container and funnel into a siphon. Charge with CO2 and keep on ice or in a refrigerator. Serve over ice in a tall glass. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
Kyle Ford’s (craft mixologist and co-founder of Ford Mixology Lab) Tips for Carbonated Cocktails At Home:
1. Using a soda siphon to create carbonated cocktails simply involves batching your favorite cocktail, pouring it into a siphon, and charging it with CO2. A standard siphon will hold about five to six cocktails.
2. The trick is to properly dilute the batched cocktail with water before putting it into the siphon. This is to adjust for the fact that you are not shaking and diluting the cocktail with ice. When you do shake a cocktail, you are diluting and expanding the drink by about 25%. That said, if you have a cocktail that has a measure of 4 oz. of liquid (like the 2-1-1 Margarita) you will need to add 1 oz. of water to the batch
3. Prepare your cocktail in a large container accordingly and funnel into the soda siphon. Screw the cap on and then charge the siphon with a CO2 cartridge, using the provided attachment.
4. Enjoy your carbonated cocktail!
