Punch up your cocktails with ingredients from your own backyard.
Are you one of those green-thumbed wizards who can grow absolutely anything? Do you have a bunch of extra produce (flowers count!) you don’t know what to do with? Well, we reckon it’s time to drink your garden. Yes, that’s right. Drink your garden. It’ll cost less than a trip to the grocery store and there’s something very special about using your own homegrown produce.
So, if you’re struggling to move your garden fruits, herbs or flowers, have a squiz at our favourite ways to jazz up some of your fave cocktails below.
Flowers aren’t just a beautiful addition to your garden or an attractive decoration for your home, they can also be a fab ingredient in your favourite cocktail. Think about it: adding that aroma, that fragrant aspect to your drink, is super profesh. Bartenders do it all the time. Disclaimer: not every flower is gonna taste great and some are poisonous (so don’t eat them, obviously). With that in mind, here are two common flowers you can use to level-up your at-home cocktails.
Lavender
Is there a homier smell than lavender? Absolutely not. Its perfume is instantly recognisable. If you have an overabundance of this purple gold and aren’t sure what to do with it, consider making it into a fragrant simple syrup. It’s super easy to make and perfect for mixing, baking and cooking. Use our simple syrup recipe, but with the addition of your lavender blossoms. When it’s cooled, simply strain through a cheesecloth and you’ve got yourself a banging lavender syrup. What you use it in is up to you, but we recommend sticking it in your Aviation for an exciting twist.
Rose
This may seem like a no-brainer considering there are many rose-flavoured things out there, but, if you didn’t already know, rose petals are edible. Unlike lavender, it takes quite a few roses to make a syrup, so unless you’re sitting on a nursery of rose bushes, it’s best to buy your rose syrup. Having said that, rose petals make for beautiful garnishes. We recommend floating one on the top of a Windsor Rose cocktail (it’s like a Cosmo, only rosier).
We love herbs in cocktails. Not only are they super fragrant, but they add a brilliant ‘green’ flavour to drinks that is irreplaceable. Because they’re all edible, they’re pretty easy to add to any cocktail, but here are a few of our fave ways to utilise them.
Basil
Basil is one of the greatest and most versatile herbs. It’s crisp and savoury, and works in a variety of cocktails and mixed drinks. We love it as a garnish for a Gin and Tonic, or as the hero ingredient in a Gin Basil Smash. For a perfect gin pairing, select something savoury and aromatic like West Winds Cutlass gin.
Thyme
Thyme is one of those herbs that will stick around through all seasons. So, unless you’re cooking roasts every day of the week, you’ll always have a surplus. Instead of letting it go to waste, here are a couple of ways to add thyme to your cocktails. The first option is to stick it in your Aperol Spritz as a garnish. To take things to the next level, we recommend carefully lighting it on fire, then quickly blowing it out – just enough time to generate some light smoke before you pop it in your drink. Doing this releases the aroma of the herb, so every time you go for a sip you get a whiff of thyme.
If that’s still not smoky enough for you, there’s another level up. In a safe, non-flammable space, place your thyme on a cutting board, light the herb on fire and quickly extinguish it. Just like before, except this time you’re going to trap the smoke with your serving glass and keep it there until the cocktail is ready to pour. When you’ve finished mixing, flip the glass and pour in your drink. You’re left with a beautifully smoky and fragrant cocktail.
And if you’re out of thyme (get it?) and basil, experiment with whatever herbs you’ve got! Rosemary and mint are givens, but play with tarragon, coriander, or anything else you’ve got on offer. Gin and Tonics and Margaritas make great bases for all your herbal exploration.
If you’re one of those skilled peeps who can grow vegetables and fruit, firstly, we’re jealous, and secondly, did you know you can use up those stray fruits and veg in a delish cocktail? We’re not saying all produce can be made into cocktails (you’d be hard-pressed to find an eggplant cocktail… yuck) but, if you’re growing chillies, tomatoes, or cucumbers – or if you’re lucky enough to be growing orchard fruit or passionfruit – you’ve got the makings of a delicious homegrown cocktail.
Chilli
Don’t shy away from chilli – it's super versatile and does wonders for cocktails. There are several ways you can brighten up your cocktail with chilli, but here are our two favourite ways to spice things up. Number one: whip up a Jalapeño Margarita. Tequila and chilli are a match made in heaven, so don’t be afraid to whiz a chilli up with your Marg for an extra kick. Take it up a notch by blitzing some into your Frozen Marg, or chuck a bunch of chillies into your tequila bottle for a spicy infusion.
Number two: chilli salt rims. This is a tad more complicated, but totally worth the effort. Take your chillies and cut them into small rounds, then dry them out in an oven or dehydrator. When brittle, throw them into a ziplock bag and crush them with your hands. Once they reach a consistency you like, take a small portion of your chilli flakes and mix them in with a little salt. Rub a lime on one side of your serving glass (the juice will act as your glue) and then gently dip it into your salt and chilli mix. Et voila! You’ve got a fab chilli salt rim.
Tomatoes
So, you’ve managed to grow a good crop of tomatoes (well done, you). You could use them to make a tonne of tomato sauce (snore fest!) OR you could do something far cooler and juice them for your Bloody Mary mix. To do this, you'll need a juicer – slow-pressed works best. First, you need to prep your tommies by removing the skin. It’s a fiddly process, but it will ensure your tomato juice is as clean and potent as possible. To do this, score the top and bottom of the tomatoes. Then, fill a big container with ice water and set aside. Boil some water on the stove and gently add your tomatoes. Once you see the skin start to crinkle and lift, fish them out and sit them in the ice bath. When cooled, you can gently remove the skin and they’re ready for juicing. All that’s left is to build your Mary in the glass with Worcestershire, maybe some of your homegrown chilli flakes and vodka. Yum.
Passionfruit
If your passionfruit vine won’t stop fruiting and you’re not sure what to do with the excess, add them to your cocktails. They require very little prep and are super tasty. We reckon a couple of spoonfuls will work fabulously in a Mojito for an extra hit of sweet tartness (also a great idea if you’ve got a bunch of mint laying around). If you’re looking for a cocktail that heroes passionfruit, we suggest mixing up a Pornstar Martini. The drink already has a good swig of passionfruit liqueur in it, so a teaspoon of fresh passionfruit pulp will add a nice tangy freshness to the cocktail.
Citrus
Whether it’s grapefruit, orange, lime or lemon you’ve got on your hands, citrus fruits are another foolproof way to amp up your cocktails with fresh ingredients. Add grapefruit slices to your Paloma or Non-alcoholic Grapefruit Julep, use freshly-squeezed lime in a French Martini or Mango and Amaretto Daiquiri, juice your own oranges for the perfect Blood and Sand or Mimosas, we’ve got a whole article here on what to do with your excess lemons, or better yet, just throw all your citrus into a Pink Gin Fruit Punch.
