Nadia George
April 30, 2024
Spring is here and with it comes the blooms and herbs that are waiting to be muddled, crushed and added as a garnish in your next favourite drink. The best part about these ingredients is that most grow readily in your garden and make great additions to your kitchen garden.
Rosemary makes an attractive container plant for patios and windowsills. It is a unique herb with a distinct flavour profile, rosemary has a sweet scent that changes the cocktail that it is added to. Rosemary surprisingly pairs well with citrus fruits which leads to a sophisticated yet layered flavour.
This beautiful fruit is a great addition to simple cocktails and works well with gin and vodka. Blend strawberries with ice and a splash of balsamic vinegar to make a quick strawberry shrub for mixing in cocktails. You could also rim your cocktail glass with strawberry puree and dip in sugar.
The purple flowers and aroma of lavender scream spring and usually are used in aromatherapy to relax the mind and body. Lavender surprisingly is perfect to experiment with in cocktails. Use in simple syrups, gin or vodka infusions, or muddle it with a pestle and add it to your cocktail.
Lately there has been a trend of pairing mangoes with jalapenos, sometimes unripe mangoes that are quite sour. It’s a margarita to be exact with the rim of the glass decorated with a line of chilli lime salt. The cocktail has a bite and punch to it courtesy of the mango and tequila. Toeing a similar line, another version uses aam panna which surges to popularity come spring.
Upgrade the regular fresh mint to peppermint or spearmint to add freshness to your drinks. Mint will always be synonymous with mojitos so this is your chance to use them in the classic cocktail. Mojito comprises of white rum, sugar, soda, lime and mint leaves. You could also blend your favourite fruit along with the other ingredients and add it to the mojito.
Rose petals or rose water provide a quintessential springtime floral aroma and flavour to cocktails. Add dried rose petals to vodka or gin and let infuse for a few days to create rose-infused spirits for floral cocktails. Muddle fresh rose petals into drinks containing fruit juices like lemon or grapefruit to complement the flavours.