This weekend at Sugarbush Nursery we talked & sipped cocktails and mocktails. It was a wonderful time had by all in their beautiful garden chatting about herb infused summer drinks. There was a sprinkle of inspiration for folks to think outside the mint tea box. I shared sever recipes and some are here.
We talked about experimenting with different herbs, from basil to thyme, and infusing seasonal fruit.
watermelon slushie
4 cups (1-inch pieces) seedless watermelon
1/2 cup pomegranate juice / silver tequila / white rum
1/4 cup infused simple syrup (basil or mint) * recipe below
1/4 cup lime juice
1 cup ice cubes
Pre-freeze cubed watermelon
In blender, combine watermelon, pomegranate juice and ice cubes and puree until smooth. Serve and enjoy immediately.
Here is a picture of a gorgeous planter that the good folks at Sugarbush created for the food savvy shopper. Just another example of not needing a full garden to be able to savor what you plant. This is one of many food theme flavored porch planters Sugarbush carries. Stop by SOON to check them out.
This planter contains stevia which you can use in your tea as a sugar substitute and it is totally unrefined, unlike stevia from the grocery store.
herb infused syrup
serve with with lemonade, iced tea, sparkling water, gin, bourbon … you get the idea
1 cup/ 1 handful fresh herbs
1 cup organic sugar
1 cup water
Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, reduce to a simmer stirring often until sugar has dissolved.
Remove from heat add herbs, stir, and remove herbs after 5-8 minutes. Taste to be sure you have the flavor you want.
Store in your fridge in a sealed glass jar for 2-3 months.
Use for beverages or to “paint” on cakes or cupcakes before adding icing. It’s a nice way to add a subtle, complimentary flavor.
complimentary flavors to play with using herb / fruit infused simple syrups
watermelon : basil /mint
peach : mint / lavender
cherry : lime and vanilla
sour cherries : lemon / lemon verbena
blueberry : lime / cinnamon / lemon thyme
fig : vanilla
strawberry : thyme / lemon verbena / roses / lavender
consider scented geraniums too. they come in several scents
[…] for many recipes and directed us to her blog to view those same recipes. Find the recipe for herbal infusions here, and the recipe for strawberry lemon-verbena rose petal syrup here. And if you can’t get […]