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Refreshing Herb-Infused Cocktail & Mocktail Recipes Straight from the Garden
Is there anything better than walking out into your garden to collect ingredients for your favorite recipes? You can easily grow your own cocktail or mocktail garden and harvest your own herbs and fruit to make the delicious drinks below!
COCKTAILS
Made with a basil and borage simple syrup this is a fun new take on a traditional gimlet. We especially love the addition of the vibrant blue borage flowers to ice cubes - simply add the flowers to the ice cube tray for a beautiful and tasty treat! Get this recipe from The Ranger's Daughter.
CHAMOMILE & PINK GRAPEFRUIT PALOMA
The sweet white chamomile flowers floating in this tequila-based drink make it a truly special refreshment! Made with chamomile simple syrup (from dried flowers) and homemade grapefruit soda, we are dying to mix one of these up! Get the recipe from Darling.
Goodbye traditional gin & tonic, hello blackberry sage gin smash! Garnished with candied sage leaves, this drink checks all the boxes and is beautiful to boot!
Get the recipe from CAKE n KNIFE.
Created by Dean Neff, former chef de cuisine at Rhubarb in Asheville, NC, we love the local roots that inspired a southern take on a traditional whiskey sour. This musky and herbal cocktail would be great to sip on a fall day (when muscadine grapes are ripe).
Get the recipe from Garden & Gun.
This refreshing and effervescent drink is filled with strawberries and mint (we want to try making it with strawberry mint!). This cocktail can also easily be made as a mocktail - simply leave out the rum. Get the recipe from Vanilla and Bean.
MOCKTAILS
The addition of rosemary and lemon to ice cubes takes this spritzer infused with rosemary, honey, and lemon to the next level! This drink can also be served hot, making it a great year-round option. Get the recipe from @holisticrendezvous.
Inspired by Escoffier's famed Peach Melba dessert, this light fizzy drink pairs peaches and raspberries with lemon thyme - making it perfect to sip on a hot summer afternoon.
Get the recipe from the greatist.com
WANT YOUR OWN COCKTAIL/MOCKTAIL GARDEN?
START WITH THESE 13 PLANTS:
HERBS
Rosemary
Hill's Hardy and ARP are two of our favorite varieties of rosemary that do well in WNC and tend to be tougher than most in hard winters.
Basil
Lemon basil is a fun twist on this favorite herb, and is sure to add lots of flavor to any drink!
Tulsi, aka Holy Basil
Sweet and medicinal holy basil, or tulsi, is a sacred herb in India. It's also a common ingredient in tea and pairs well with smokey liquors like whiskey.
Chamomile
Chamomile is used in herbal remedies, teas, skin care products, cocktails, and more. The flowers are edible and make a cute garnish for your herbal cocktails!
Lemon Thyme
Actually its own species, Thymus citriodorus, lemon thyme is as easy to grow as its classic cousin - preferring well-draining soil that dries out between waterings, matching its Mediterranean climate.
Strawberry Mint
At Painters we have 7 varieties of mint including chocolate, mojito, orange, spearmint, peppermint, and more! Strawberry mint is a fun addition to any drink with strawberries in it!
Sage
This perennial herb is easy to grow and a great addition to any food or drink. We have both Purple and Berggarten varieties at painters.
Borage
Borage is a less common annual herb that self-seeds, making it a relatively carefree plant to grow. It's a favorite companion to vegetables as it attracts pollinators. The stunning star-shaped blue flowers are the real attraction and make for a great garnish. Both the flowers and young leaves taste like cucumber!
FRUITS
Strawberries
We've still got a beautiful selection of June-bearing strawberries at Painters.
Blackberries
There is nothing better than harvesting fresh berries to eat with breakfast or add to an evening's cocktail. We've got 5 varieties of blackberry bushes right now.
(View all the varieties here: https://www.paintersgreenhouse.com/general-availability)
Raspberries
Just like blackberries, raspberries are satisfying to grow and a great addition to
many meals/beverages.
Peaches
Unfortunately, we have sold out of peach trees for the season, but that doesn't mean you can't plan on planting some or enjoy them fresh from the farmers market and in a number of cocktails!
Muscadine Grapes
Ripening in fall, muscadine grapes are becoming more common and are a fun and unique addition to cocktails!