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Drinks

Herbal Cocktails

Brighten your cocktails with fresh herbs

In the summer we want our cocktails to be nice and refreshing. One of the best ways to perk up a cocktail for a hot day is to add fresh herbs. From mint juleps to a basil martini, we've rounded up our favorite herbal cocktail recipes.

The mint julep—a simple combination of mint, bourbon, and sugar virtually synonymous with the Kentucky Derby—is a super variable drink. For a very old-school twist, try replacing the bourbon with cognac, a popular spirit in the antebellum South. If you want something bitter, make your julep with vegetal Cynar and effervescent grapefruit soda. Or try our Swedish julep made with mint aquavit and rum.

Basil is another bright herb perfect for cocktails. Chopped basil leaves lend crispness to a simple vodka martini. Watermelon and basil is a classic pairing—we combine them with tequila, lime juice, and yellow Chartreuse. In the Poddington Pea, a basil simple syrup is shaken with gin, sherry, mint, and blanched peas.`

Delicate, floral lavender lends itself to elegant drinks. Our lavender paloma is made with grapefruit juice, mezcal, and a lavender simple syrup and served in a glass with a lavender salt rim. Or try a lavender sour with gin, lemon juice, green Chartreuse, a lavender simple syrup, and a sprinkling of lavender dust.

Find all of these drinks and more in our collection of herbal cocktail recipes.

Watermelon-Basil Cocktail
Watermelon-Basil Cocktail

Matt Taylor-Gross

Romero And Julieta Cocktail
Romero and Julieta

Matt Taylor-Gross

Saggio
Saggio

Muddled sage leaves add an earthy freshness to this blueberry vodka and white cranberry potion from Lavo nightclub and restaurant in Las Vegas.

Leaf and Spear, Kale Rum Cocktail
Leaf and Spear

This green cocktail combines kale-infused rum with a housemade green harissa syrup, which adds sugar for balance and a hint of jalapeño for pop.

The Verbena and Mint Cocktail
The Verbena and Mint

Bar manager Jon di Pinto of Street ADL in Adelaide, South Australia, combines lemon verbena and gin for a crisp, refreshing summer cocktail. Get the recipe for The Verbena and Mint »

Strawberry-Lillet Crush
Strawberry-Lillet Crush

Muddled strawberries and mint star in a refreshing, lightly sweet cocktail that packs a punch. Get the recipe for Strawberry-Lillet Crush »

The Poddington Pea
The Poddington Pea

Peas might seem out of place in a drink, but their vegetal sweetness is perfect for this basil-gin cocktail. Get the recipe for The Poddington Pea

Basil Martini
Basil Martini

Basil-infused vodka gives this simple cocktail a light, crisp edge.

99 Problems Cocktail
99 Problems But An Herb Ain't One

Gin, lemongrass, ginger, and kaffir lime combine in this savory cocktail from Alex Straus of LA’s E.P. & L.P., who created it to complement the restaurant’s spicier dishes.

Lavender Cocktail
Lavender Sour

JB Bernstein, bar manager at Vernick Food & Drink in Philadelphia, celebrates summer with this simple, floral gin cocktail, sweetened with lavender-infused syrup and garnished with lavender dust. Get the recipe for Lavender Sour >>

Elderflower Old Fashioned
Elderflower Old Fashioned

Elderflower liqueur replaces the traditional sugar cube in this floral twist on an old favorite. Get the recipe for Elderflower Old Fashioned >>

Picante de la Casa
Picante de la Casa

Cool muddled cilantro balances the heat from a fresh Fresno chile in this sweet-spicy refresher.

Verano

Eamon Rockey of Manhattan’s Betony restaurant cures grapefruit peel in granulated sugar to create oleo-saccharum, the citrusy syrup that goes into this tarragon-laced drink.

Bar Code Tonic
Bar Code Tonic

Tonic water derives its bitterness from quinine, a purified substance derived from the bark of the cinchona tree. Paired with gin, tonic water makes for one of summer’s most refreshing cocktails. At Bar Code in Bellevue, Washington, the gin and tonic is made in a unique manner: The gin itself is infused with cinchona bark, citrus, and other aromatics. Then, rather than tonic, soda water is added to make the drink.

Queen Victoria Tonic
Queen Victoria Tonic

This highball uses a homemade tonic infused with raspberry-flavored orris root and peppery, flowery grains of paradise to complement the specific flavor profile of Bombay Sapphire gin.

Hierba Gin and Tonic
Hierba Gin and Tonic

At Spanish-born chef José Andrés’ U.S. restaurants, including the Washington, D.C.– and Las Vegas–based tapas bars called Jaleo, at least ten different variations on the gin and tonic are served. One of our favorites is this pretty version that’s dressed with whole pink peppercorns, citrus, and rosemary. A dry gin lets the aromatic garnishes shine. Get the recipe for Hierba Gin and Tonic »

Conquistador Gin and Tonic
Conquistador

Conquistador Gin and Tonic

Ultimate Gin and Tonic
Ultimate Gin and Tonic

Ultimate Gin and Tonic

The Truffle Pig, Mushroom Cocktail
The Truffle Pig

Recently some unexpected vegetables—ramps, butternut squash, and beets—have started showing up in creative cocktails. Now, mushrooms are getting in on the fun(gus). At Dallas farm-to-table restaurant FT33, The Truffle Pig features a refreshing mix of tequila, lemon juice, and muddled mushrooms sweetened with rosemary-cinnamon honey. Topping it off is a seared hen of the woods mushroom.

Swedish Mint Julep
Swedish Mint Julep

In addition to using caraway and dill—the most traditional flavors for aquavit—in Sweden, home cooks make the spirit with an infinite variety of spices, herbs, and other flavorful botanicals. Get the recipe for Swedish Mint Julep

Strawberry Moonshine Julep
Strawberry Moonshine Julep

White whiskey takes the place of bourbon in this summery interpretation of a julep. Get the recipe for Strawberry Moonshine Julep »

The Wild Ruffian
The Wild Ruffian

Inspired by a recipe developed by mixologist Lynn House of the Chicago restaurant Blackbird, this is an ideal cocktail to show off the fruity side of Cognac. Peach preserves meld beautifully with the spirit’s soft sweetness, while mint adds a bright finish. Get the recipe for The Wild Ruffian »

Chartreuse Smash
Chartreuse Smash

This sweet (but not too sweet) cocktail is a terrific vehicle for Chartreuse; when we tested it, it converted even the most adamant opponents to the herbal, bright-green liqueur. Get the recipe for Chartreuse Smash »

Apricot Blossom
Apricot Blossom

This surprisingly balanced cocktail offers up layers of fruit, spice, and sweetness, with a hint of vanilla from the rum.

The Libertine
The Libertine

Rosemary brings an herbal note to this whiskey drink.

Mezcalita de Piña
Mezcalita de Piña

Made with mezcal, grilled pineapple, jalapeño, and lime, this festive take on the classic margarita is smoky, sweet, and spicy, with an herbaceous kick from cilantro. Get the recipe for Mezcalita de Piña »

Spicy Shiso Smash
Spicy Shiso Smash

Shiso leaves muddled with spicy Thai red chile and slices of cooling cucumber make for a refreshing and festive cocktail.

The Green Thumb
The Green Thumb

In this refreshing spring cocktail, muddled basil and tarragon add freshness and intensify Pernod’s green hue, while a squirt of fresh lime juice and splash of champagne cut through the sweet anise flavor. Get the recipe for The Green Thumb »

Thousand-Dollar Mint Julep
Thousand-Dollar Mint Julep

This version of the classic three-ingredient cocktail—which combines three parts bourbon to one part of a simple syrup bracingly infused with fresh spearmint—is sanctioned by the Kentucky Derby itself as their official mint julep recipe. Get the recipe for Thousand-Dollar Mint Julep »

Vodka Lavender Thyme Lemonade
Vodka Lavender Thyme Lemonade

This lemonade gains herbaceous depth from lavender and thyme, while vodka delivers a good, clean punch.

Pineapple Mojito
Pineapple Mojito

This twist on a mojito combines pineapple- and coconut-infused rum with fresh pineapple and mint for a fruity, vacation-inspired drink. Get the recipe for Pineapple Mojito »

The Charleston Fizz
The Charleston Fizz

The floral flavor of gin is a natural match for bright grapefruit and elderflower liqueur in a refreshing cocktail. Fresh tarragon adds an aromatic, peppery anise note.

Antebellum Mint Julep
Antebellum Mint Julep

Before the Civil War made foreign products hard to come by in the South, French cognac was the preferred liquor in a mint julep.

Cynar Julep
Cynar Julep

Cynar’s vegetal bitterness, derived primarily from artichokes, pairs nicely with mint and grapefruit soda in this refreshing julep variation.

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