Marla Cimini on July 28, 2016 0 Comments Garden-grown herbs and fresh fruits have been making appearances in cocktails for years. Today, more and more bars and restaurants worldwide are embracing the subtle flavors and nuanced notes of the homegrown, organic ingredients. Experienced bartenders and expert mixologists agree that by infusing and blending freshly-grown herbs and fruits into their beverages, they are creating unique, memorable, aesthetically-pleasing libations with a wide range of aromatic, complex flavors. Christina Cunningham, mixologist at Nectar in the town of Berywn, Pennsylvania (located near Philadelphia) is a champion of garden-fresh cocktails. In fact, she has created a new 2016 summer cocktail menu inspired by the restaurant’s private herb garden, which is situated steps outside of the building. Cunningham chooses her herbs, cares for them as they grow, and then pulls them fresh every day when she arrives at the bar. She says, “I think the farm-to-table movement has now extended from the kitchen to the bar — and now bartenders are finding more exciting, fresh ingredients to work with. Gone are the days of getting your flavors from a bottle of schnapps that glows neon! For me, as a mixologist, I love every aspect of the actual growing process. I feel like more love goes into drinks when you personally grow and nurture the herbs and fruits.” Cunningham enjoys mixing up libations with all sorts of herbs, and she has several favorites. She explains, “My go-to herbs right now are rosemary, lavender and lemon thyme. I love using these because they have such unique flavors that stand up really well with liquor. I created the Rosemary Infused Cazadores Tequila cocktail here where I infuse rosemary with silver tequila. I infuse it for about 48 hours, and then combine it with a fresh squeezed grapefruit sour mix (which is a combo of grapefruit, lime, lemon juice and simple sour). I then shake it with meringue powder and serve on the rocks. The meringue gives the drink a creamy, foamy froth that blends so perfectly with the bitter, sour notes of the citrus and herbaceous rosemary.” She also has other favorite spirits that she believes infuse well with herbs. She reveals, “Because we use our own grown herbs, spices and flowers, we feel that the best accompaniments for these flavors are locally-made spirits, produced and distilled in neighboring Pennsylvania towns on similar soil and in the same climate to showcase our local terroir. I am a big advocate for using regional brands such as, Dad’s Hat rye, Blue Coat gin, Stateside vodka and Boardroom vodka.” 5 Garden-Inspired Cocktails: In addition to substantial cocktail offerings, Nectar’s extensive wine list has been recognized in Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence Category. This summer, Nectar’s garden cocktail menu includes the following inspirations: Thai Basil-Infused Social Still Rye: Made with lime and fresh raspberries. Photo Credit: Dallyn Pavey / Dish Public Relations Lavender-Infused Blue Coat Gin: Made with fresh peaches, lemon and club soda Photo Credit: Dallyn Pavey / Dish Public Relations Rosemary-Infused Cazadores Tequila: With fresh grapefruit juice, meringue powder and house-made sour mix Photo Credit: Dallyn Pavey / Dish Public Relations Thai Chili Infused Bacardi Rum: With Mandarin orange juice, lime juice and ginger beer Photo Credit: Dallyn Pavey / Dish Public Relations Mint-Infused Hangar Kaffir Lime Vodka: Made with fresh watermelon juice. Photo Credit: Dallyn Pavey / Dish Public Relations According to Cunningham, she has been receiving a very positive response to her inventive summer drink menu, as her customers are enjoy the interesting herbal augmentation. She says, “For the gin cocktails, I incorporate lavender and infuse it for about 24 hours. I then take fresh chopped peaches and blend them into a puree with little a fresh lemon juice. The drink is served on the rocks — with a splash of club soda. I had a guest the other day tell me it was ‘like a spa in a glass’ and that it made her feel calm and relaxed!” Making Your Own Garden Cocktails For those individuals who wish to make their own cocktails accented with fresh garden flavors, Cunningham offers a few personal tips. She explains, “If you are infusing the alcohol, make sure you don’t over-steep. You can ruin a perfectly good spirit by letting the herb sit to long… it gets really funky. I suggest that 24 – 48 hours of infusion is a good time frame.” She added, “But if you don’t want to infuse it — then simply muddle it. Muddling fresh herbs is awesome, because you get the real true flavors. Just make sure you strain the drink — because no one wants to have herbs stuck in their teeth!” She believes that cocktail lovers might be pleasantly surprised that a simple sprig of a fresh herb can quickly change a spirit dramatically — enhancing it and bringing out robust flavors. She added, “Don’t be afraid to try new things with your drinks. Mix and match your favorite fruit, veggies (yes veggies!) herbs and spirits. Mix your regular gin and tonic with some fresh basil and tomatoes — your taste buds will thank you for it.” In Boston, Sterling Jackson, the bartender of the Avery Bar at The Ritz-Carlton hotel, says, “Recently I’ve been using more mint and citrus tones in my drinks. Two cocktails that embody these are the Lemon Balm, which features sweet, citrus notes without acidity, and the Southside – usually made with gin and mint (similar to a mojito), but instead with gin and lemon balm.” Photo credit: Courtesy of Drambuie Jackson added, “In my experience, vodka works best for garden cocktails. It’s the most simple platform to build upon and customize with herbs. Gin is another spirit that can pair well, as long as the primary botanicals are working with the herbs — and not against them. I use herbs as accents in a cocktail, rather than the focal point. This allows the spirit be the star and the herb a pleasant complement.” In addition, Jackson has a few recommendations of his own regarding using fresh herbs in cocktails. He says, “Be tender — don’t bruise or beat them. Simply tear and slice — don’t pound and muddle. Focus on one herb at a time, and most importantly… less is more! A little goes a long way.” Vance Henderson, the Drambuie brand’s U.S. Ambassador reveals that mint and sage are some of his favorite herbs to use in cocktails. He says, “Mint is a very versatile as a garnish – you can use a sprig or a leaf. When you use it in a cocktail, it adds a tartness and complexity to the flavor profile, like in the Drambuie Collins, which is a simple and delicious cocktail made with Drambuie, fresh lemon juice and mint topped with soda water. What I like about sage is that is adds a subtle savory taste and light, peppery notes. The texture is great – it’s a sophisticated accessory for a cocktail. The Drambuie Collins is a versatile cocktail – so I suggest trying it with sage instead of the mint.” Henderson added, “Generally, herbs work to add a tartness or a bitterness to balance out cocktails. Drambuie is an aged Scotch liqueur with heather honey, herbs and spices, so adding herbs further brings out the flavors in the Drambuie and balance out the sweetness of the honey. The result is bold, harmonic and downright delicious.” Reflecting the sentiments of other professional mixologists, he continued, “Farm-to-table isn’t so much a trend – it’s here to stay, with farm fresh garnishes to purees to shrubs. We’re seeing a lot of fresh fruit and fresh herb infusions being used across the board in cocktails — whether it is in a sophisticated stirred cocktail or a tiki drink.”
