How to Make Garden Syrup – New Ways to Use Fresh Herbs in Spring Cocktails!
Just recently, Haleigh and I started a little herb garden on our community catwalk. We’ve been in this building for eight years but never thought to use this area for anything! It dawned on us the other day that no one really uses the catwalk except for the random delivery guy going between buildings now and then. So we popped into our local nursery, Pike, and picked up some pots and a few herbs: Spearmint, Pineapple Sage, Cilantro, Amethyst Basil, Tarragon, and French Lavender. We also got a Cherokee Purple Tomato plant — one of our absolute favorite varieties of tomato. So with all these little guys chilling right outside our door, not only do we avoid spending money on overpriced and near-stale grocery store herbs, but we have such an abundance we can experiment a bit! That’s how I came up with the Garden Syrup idea… really just wanting something super fresh and bright to add to cocktails. Beyond muddling these herbs or using them as garnishes, they are great as infusions or for syrups, so why not combine a few together and see what we get?
Garden Syrup no. 1:
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Filtered Water
1/3 Cup Mint
3 Tbsp Pineapple Sage
1.5 Tbsp Cilantro
Really liked how this version ended up. I went with mainly mint and sage as cilantro can be overpowering. The fun thing is that this syrup can change depending on the season and the crop of herbs you have. Grab a few handfuls and give it a go! How do I use Garden Syrup in a cocktail, you ask? Make a Tipsy Gardener!
Step-by-step guide to create your own Garden Syrup:
Get yourself a nice big handful of fresh herbs!
Once cooled, add simple syrup to the blender.
Bottle and date your syrup. Will last two weeks refrigerated. Pro tip: add .25 oz of vodka or grain alcohol to extend syrup life by a week or two. Enjoy!
