Herbal & Floral Cocktail Recipes
Cilantro and Jasmine Martinis, Thyme Bellini and Basil Mojito
If you watch cocktail trends, you know herbs and flowers are finding their way into glasses everywhere. Here's some recipes to try for yourself.
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.
