How Does Your Garnish Grow?

Summer has officially kicked off, which means it’s time to head into the garden. Herbs are an easy, rewarding way to exercise your green thumb, and when it comes to cocktails, they’re an essential ingredient. If you have a sunny spot, big or small, try growing your own garnish garden (oh, and you can use it for cooking too!). Here are some of the plants we’re growing this year for prime summer cocktail season:

Mint
Mint grows abundantly and its many varieties allow for fun experimentation with flavors. It’s the signature herb in countless cocktails, from the Mint Julep to the Mojito. Try mint in the gingery Sleepyhead for a new take on mint in your next cocktail. It’s also great for making your own mint tea or for adding to your favorite lemonade.

Basil
Versatile basil lends itself to both savory and sweet cocktails and mocktails, including the alcohol-free Watermelon-Basil Cooler in our 2008 Summer Drinks Guide, on newsstands now. Try basil in a gin-based Bloody Mary or the Sangre de Fresca, a cachaça, basil, strawberry & balsamic drink from Art of the Bar. Or try the fantastic Honey-Basil Orangeade from our July/Aug 07 issue.

Cilantro
Cilantro grows fast in the right conditions, so we’re alway looking for creative uses for this flavorful herb. Cocktails provide a perfect outlet for the added zing cilantro lends, whether it’s in the tomato-tequila Drinko de Gallo or in a cilantro simple syrup in Kevin Ludwig’s Zanahorita, or carrot margarita, from the current issue.

Sage
While sage is a long-time culinary favorite, its use in cocktails might not be as widely appreciated. Try sage in Those Bourbon Blues (bourbon, pepper-maple syrup, blueberries & sage) from the 2008 Summer Drinks Guide or experiment with blackberries and sage in your own cocktail creation.

Tarragon
Delicate in appearance, tarragon packs a punch of anise-like flavor that lends well to drink mixing. Lately, we’re loving the alcohol-free Tarragon Cooler, which beautifully blends tarragon with cucumber, lime and tea for an amazing drink.

These are just a few examples of the herbs we’ll be growing—lavender, thyme and rosemary also make excellent options for using in drinks of all kinds. How about you, what are you planning to grow this summer?