Herbal & Floral Cocktail Recipes
Cilantro and Jasmine Martinis, Thyme Bellini and Basil Mojito
Aug 12, 2007
Cilantro Martini
- heaping handful fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- juice from 1 lime
- 1/2 oz simple syrup
- 2 oz citrus vodka
- 1/2 oz gin
Fill shaker with crushed ice, cilantro, lime juice, and simple syrup, and muddle well. Add vodka and gin. Shake well, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Jasmine Martini
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup of Jasmine Water (usually find this in the exotic food section)
- 2 strips orange zest
- 1/2 cup vodka
- 1/4 cup Grand Marnier
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Jasmine flowers
Make a simple syrup of the sugar, jasmine water, and orange zest. Place jasmine flowers in a glass jar, and pour the simple syrup over the flowers. Steep for 1-2 hours to infuse.
In a martini shaker filled with ice, combine the vodka, Grand Marnier, lemon juice, and 4 tablespoons of the Jasmine syrup. Shake to combine, and strain into chilled martini glasses. Float a jasmine flower in each glass to garnish. (Great cocktail with Asian food!)
Thyme Bellini
Use white peaches if you can get them. If fresh ripe fruit is not available, a peach puree will work.
- 3 ripe peach slices, peeled
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme, no stems
- 1 tsp sugar
- Dash orange bitters
- 4 oz chilled Prosecco (or other sparkling wine)
Combine peaches, thyme, sugar and bitters in a cocktail shaker, and muddle well. (Peaches should be almost pureed.) Pour into a chilled cocktail glass and top with Prosecco. Serve garnished with another sprig of thyme.
Basil Mojito
- Juice of half a lemon
- Juice of half a lime
- Fresh basil
- Fresh mint
- 1 tablespoon simple syrup
- Soda water
- 1 3/4 ounces lemon flavored rum
- 2 ounces lemon-lime soda
- Lemons and limes for garnish
Squeeze the fresh citrus juices into a cocktail shaker. Add five or six cubes of ice, about five medium basil leaves, eight to 10 mint leaves, 1 tablespoon of simple syrup and a "splash" of soda water. Muddle well.
Pour the mixture into a glass, add the rum, the lemon-lime soda and another splash of soda water. Pour the mixture back and forth between the glass and cocktail shaker a few times. Pour into a tall (16 oz) glass to serve, adding more ice as needed. Garnish with curls of lemon and lime rind, and sprigs of mint.
Citrus Lavender Martini
- 1 orange wedge
- 2 fresh lavender leaves, or 5-6 pieces dried lavender
- 1 ½ oz. vodka
- ½ oz. Cointreau
- ½ oz. sweet & sour mix
Muddle orange and lavender well in the bottom of a shaker. Add vodka, Cointreau, sweet and sour mix, and ice, and shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Optional garnish – rim the glass with honey and dip the rim into raw sugar.
