From Derby Day to Mother’s Day, there seems to be a fabulous fete or perfect picnic every springtime weekend in the South! So if you’re digging for inspiration to make your next occasion truly bespoke, we’ve got three creative cocktails sparkling with garden-fresh ingredients.
Spicy Rosemary Smoked Paloma
- 3 oz. grapefruit juice
- 1 oz agave
- 1 sprig Chef’s Choice® Culinary Rosemary per glass
- 2 oz. Mezcal smoked tequila
- Club soda to taste
- Jalapeños for garnish
Garden Cocktail Secret: Skip muddling those freshly picked herbs! Instead, they should be slapped or clapped. Simply place the herbs in one of your hands and clap your hands together once. This process releases the aroma and taste of the herb without damaging its structure and “dirtying” the drink.
Instructions: Chef’s Choice Rosemary is famed as one of the spiciest varieties of rosemary, so we’re playing the spiciness up with a little extra smoke and heat! To craft this cocktail, combine grapefruit juice, agave, and Mezcal smoked tequila to a shaker glass, then add ice and shake. Strain the liquid mixture into a clean glass. Clap a sprig of fresh rosemary and add to the glass. Fill the glass with fresh ice and top it off with club soda. Garnish with a small spring of rosemary, a grapefruit wheel, and a jalapeño slice.
Darlin’ Blueberry Mojito
- ¼ cup freshly picked DownHome Harvest® Hello Darlin® Blueberries
- ¾ oz simple syrup
- Mint leaves
- ¾ oz lime juice
- 2 oz Bacardi Superior rum
- Club soda to taste
Garden Cocktail Secret: What’s the scoop on growing bountiful rabbiteye blueberries? Planting more than one variety so they can cross-pollinate! Try pairing Hello Darlin with Takes the Cake® Blueberry or Bless Your Heart® Blueberry for a bumper crop.
Instructions: Add fresh garden-grown blueberries and simple syrup to the glass that the beverage will be served in and muddle. Slap 3-4 mint leaves and add to the muddled mixture. Fill the glass with ice. Add lime juice and rum, then top with club soda. Garnish with fresh mint, an artful cocktail stir, and a lime wedge.
Simply Phenomenal Lavender-Lemon Fizz
- Lavender Simple Syrup (recipe requires ½ oz):
- 1 tsp dried Phenomenal™ Lavender buds
- ¼ c sugar
- ¼ c water
- 1/2 oz lemon juice
- 3 oz champagne
- Sprig of fresh Phenomenal™ Lavender
- Fresh lemon
Garden Cocktail Secret: There are many varieties and species of lavender. Lavandula augustifolia varieties like Phenomenal™ Lavender are popular choices for culinary use, marrying extraordinary beauty in the landscape with a rich and nuanced fragrance that incorporates well into food and beverages.
Instructions: To create the lavender simple syrup, combine sugar, water, and dried lavender and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Simmer for one minute, then allow to cool for 45 minutes and strain to remove lavender buds. Combine ½ oz. of the resulting lavender simple syrup with lemon juice in a shaker glass, add ice, and shake. Strain the liquid mixture into a champagne flute or coupe. Top it with champagne or prosecco. Garnish with a freshly picked Phenomenal Lavender sprig and a lemon twist.
These drinks also make excellent mocktails using your preferred non-alcoholic spirit or chilled sparkling water. With these recipes and the right picks from Southern Living® Plant Collection, you’re ready to take your garden bounty from the backyard to the kitchen table… to the cocktail glass! Sip, sip, hooray!
