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Summer Cocktails – how to make cocktails with fruits, vegetables and herbs from your garden

By Becky Ellis

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 21: A person holds a 'Brezza Del Giardino' cocktail as Eataly NYC Downtown reopens with Color Factory for La Pizza & La Pasta A Colori  art installation created by artist Eric Rieger (AKA HOTTEA) on April 21, 2021 in New York City. Eataly will donate 10% of the proceeds to EnChroma’s Color Accessibility Program to help provide EnChroma glasses to local New York libraries for color blind patrons to borrow. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 21: A person holds a 'Brezza Del Giardino' cocktail as Eataly NYC Downtown reopens with Color Factory for La Pizza & La Pasta A Colori  art installation created by artist Eric Rieger (AKA HOTTEA) on April 21, 2021 in New York City. Eataly will donate 10% of the proceeds to EnChroma’s Color Accessibility Program to help provide EnChroma glasses to local New York libraries for color blind patrons to borrow. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images) /
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Summer cocktails made even more delightfully flavorful with fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs from your garden. mojitos made with fresh spearmint, strawberry daiquiris, Pimm’s Cup with a cucumber spear immediately come to mind, but there’s so much more that your garden can add to your cocktail repertoire!

Cucumbers are the perfect addition to spicy margaritas. Mix up one of these and be cool as a cucumber! Food Network has a super cool recipe for Spicy Cucumber Margaritas on their website. Rim your margarita cocktail glass with Japanese 7 Spice Blend (Shichimi Togarashi). Pour a little of the spice on a small plate, the by rub a slice of lime around the rim of the glass and then roll the rim of the glass in the spice.  Sit back, close your eyes and sip on Spicy cucumber margaritas while you imagine yourself on a tropical beach somewhere…

Lavender makes a lovely cocktail syrup that can be used in any lemony cocktail – Lemon Drops and Bee’s Knees cocktails are the perfect summer libations. Lavender syrup is easy to make and can be stored tightly covered in your refrigerator for up to two weeks. An added bonus, with its purple flowers lavender makes a colorful addition to your garden and wait until the wind blows and enjoy the lovely lavender scent that permeates your senses.

When you think of summer cocktails what immediately comes to mind? Strawberries and peaches of course! What could be more tasty than smoky, sweet tequila cocktails? Grilled fruit adds a certain smoky quality to your cocktails. Grilled peaches, grilled watermelon and roasted strawberries will make your margaritas the toast of the neighborhood this summer.  Find the recipes here on FoodSided.

Mint Julep, simple cocktail hack
(Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Garden & Gun) /

Mint is truly the queen of the garden. It will grow most anywhere, deer and rabbits don’t like it so they won’t munch on it and it spreads like crazy. Spearmint is the variety of mint to grow to use in cocktails. Pineapple mint is a variagated mint that makes a beautiful cocktail garnish. Mint is the primary ingredient in two popular summer cocktails – Mojitos and Mint Juleps. Combine two of your favorite summer garden ingredients – strawberries and mint – to make Strawberry Mojitos.

Fresh herbs make the prettiest garnishes. Pluck a sprig of thyme, rosemary or mint from your garden and tuck it in your cocktail. Chive blossoms are especially pretty in savory cocktails such as Bloody Mary’s. Freeze fresh herbs in your ice cubes to add a festive touch to cocktails.

Related Story. Eco-conscious cocktails bring tasty conversation to the table. light

What lovely fruits, vegetables and herbs do you have in your garden to make cocktails?

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