You grew a lot of fantastic herbs over the summer—including rosemary, thyme, sage, mint, and more—you’ve probably dried a whole pile to use in your winter baking and cooking! Why not incorporate these aromatic herbs into your holiday drinks with these ideas for some new winter favourites. These cocktail herb garden stars make excellent simple syrups for your best party drinks, so read on as we give you the best of the best!
If you’re into cocktail making, you’re no doubt familiar with the term simple syrup. It really is very simple, and is basically sugar dissolved in water. Many great holiday cocktails incorporate a herbal infusion to these syrups, adding tantalizing hints of freshly-picked herbs that take beverages from familiar to fab. They can also be used as a sweet addition to teas, sparkling water, soda, or juice when you’re not in the cocktail mood, or if you’re serving guests that are going alcohol-free.
To make a simple syrup, dissolve 1 cup of sugar into 1 cup of boiling water. For creating a specific herbal infusion, grab your favourite herbs and follow these guidelines for the best flavour:
We’ve hand-picked these recipes for you to kickstart your holiday season using herbs from your cocktail garden!
You’ll need your Rosemary simple syrup for this stellar holiday cocktail.
How to make it:
A sophisticated cocktail to serve family, friends, and holiday guests, this broody drink is sure to warm you up! You’ll want a sage simple syrup for this little gem.
How to make it:
A delicious, warm and comforting drink to pass the long winter evenings, try this one surrounded by holiday company.
How to make it:
One more refreshing winter cocktail on the menu is the Winter Mojito, garnished to perfection with your favourite herbs. The simple syrup for this recipe requires 5 sage leaves and 5 rosemary sprigs.
How to make it:
Making an herb garden is a great way to supply your cocktails with herbs all year round and gives that extra punch of flavour your guests will love. If you’re low on some of these important herb garden plants, swing by Royal City Nursery today to stock up—and maybe find some of those last-minute gift ideas while you’re here!
