Cocktails and Gardening

August 23, 2021

Making delicious cocktails and gardening can go hand in hand—if you’re growing the right things in your garden! Below we’ve laid out some gardening recommendations to make the best cocktails.

Fruit

Fruit can be a great addition to almost any cocktail. Whether you’re muddling some berries in the bottom of a glass or adding a lime wedge or orange wheel to your rim, it can bring out some fantastic flavors in your drinks.

Some fruit to consider growing in your cocktail garden:

Oranges
Strawberries
Limes
Lemons
Blueberries
Raspberries
Blackberries

Mint

Mint is great for many refreshing cocktails, the most obvious being a mojito. It’s easy to grow (it’ll take over your garden if you let it!), making it an extremely useful herb for cocktails.

Some cocktails to consider sprucing up with mint:

Mojitos (add some flavor to spice them up!)
Mint Julep
Cucumber Mint Gimlet
Vodka Mint Lemonade
Bourbon Smash

Basil

Basil is another herb that can be added to many cocktails for some extra freshness and flavor. It’s relatively easy to grow in a garden or indoors, making it extremely accessible.

Some cocktails to add basil to:

Cucumber, Basil, and Lime Gimlet
Gin Basil Smash
Vodka Basil Smash
Basil Margarita
Strawberry Basil Cooler

Dill

Dill is an interesting herb that is certainly an acquired taste, but it can add a fun flavor to plenty of cocktails, mainly gin and vodka cocktails.

Some cocktails to consider garnishing with dill:

Gin Fizz
Martini (especially Cucumber Martini)
Gin Collins
Gin and Tonic

Thyme

Thyme goes extremely well with bourbon cocktails. It adds a strong, unique flavor and aroma. It’s typically easy to grow in a garden, both indoors and out.

Some cocktails to add it to:

Apple Bourbon Smash
Old Fashioned
Whiskey Sour
Gin and Tonic (especially with flavors like blackberry)
Gimlet

Rosemary

Rosemary goes well with bourbon and gin, and is another fun way to add a unique flavor. Plus, it looks great as a garnish!

Try out one of these cocktails with rosemary:

Gin Fizz
Bourbon Sour
Gimlet
Bramble
Moscow Mule

Lavender

Lavender can add just enough of a floral flavor to any cocktail, whether you choose to use its oil or a few sprigs. You can also sprinkle some lavender flowers over the top of a cocktail for additional aesthetics. It typically goes well with lighter liquor like vodka or gin.

Add lavender to any of these cocktails:

Vodka Lemonade
Gin and Tonic
Martini
Gin Sour
Gin Spritz

Happy growing! Add any of these to your garden for some deliciously unique cocktails. Let us know what you make by tagging us on Facebook or Instagram!