Our 10 favorite herbal cocktails

1. The tangy
2. The mojito
3. The Fragrant
4. fresh cocktail
5. The Caipirinha
6. the zombie
7. Thyme punch
8. dark rum
9. The Mangolada
10. Basil Smash Gin

You can use the fresh herbs of your choice. It can even happen that we use several herbs in the same cocktail, it brings an additional dimension. As herbs are sold in large clumps, we recommend storing them in the refrigerator in a box wrapped in a damp cloth after washing and drying them. They keep their freshness for almost 1 week.

 

1. The tangy

The explosive encounter between fresh basil and grapefruit. Coconut milk and sparkling water soften the acidity of grapefruit, whose taste is enhanced by basil.

Ingredients :

• 48cl coconut milk
• 2cl of vodka
• 24 fresh basil leaves
• 4 grapefruits (50 ml juice)
• A little sparkling water

Preparation :

• Pour 2 cl of vodka into a container, to which you add 48 cl of coconut milk
• Mix everything then add the basil leaves, which you let infuse
• Then, squeeze the 4 grapefruits
• Finally add the squeezed grapefruit juice then a little sparkling water to the vodka
• Taste it all

2. The Mojito

The authentic encounter between fresh mint and rum. Of course, you all know this Cuban cocktail that has been around the world. The mojito, which takes its name from the "mojo", a mixture made from lemons, has become one of the flagship cocktails of the summer. For this summer, we suggest you revisit this classic, by incorporating a touch of freshness thanks to cucumber.

 

Ingredients :

 

• 20 nice slices of cucumber
• 2cl of Cuban White Rum
• 35 mint leaves
• 4 tablespoons cane sugar
• 4 tablespoons lime juice
• Crushed ice + a splash of sparkling water

Preparation :

 

• First, place the cucumber slices, crushed ice, rum and fresh mint leaves from your vegetable garden in a container.
• Then, using a wooden grinder, press them to extract the aroma
• Add lime juice, cane sugar and sparkling water
• Then add the crushed ice, then mix everything
• Finally, pour your preparation into glasses, garnish them with lemon slices and voila

3. The Perfumed

The delicate encounter between fresh thyme , fig and Lillet. The fig only really grows from August, so this cocktail is a perfect transition between summer and autumn !

 

Ingredients :

 

• 20cl of chilled Lillet Blanc
• 4cl of thyme syrup
• Juice of a lemon
• 4 figs
• Crushed ice
• 12cl of water
• 125g cane sugar
• A few sprigs of thyme

Preparation :

 

• Start by making the thyme syrup: pour the water and sugar into a saucepan
• Heat over low heat until the sugar has melted
• Add a few sprigs of thyme off the heat and leave to infuse for ten minutes
• Then, remove the sprigs of thyme and pour into a jar or glass bottle
• Finally, place in the fridge, the syrup will keep for several days
• To make the cocktail: pour into your shaker glass, the thyme syrup, the lemon juice, then finally the Lillet and the previously crushed fig
• Add the crushed ice then close your shaker and stir
• Finally, all you have to do is pour everything into a cocktail glass, filtering with a small strainer

 

4. Cool Cocktail

Around the 1600s, this alcohol made its entry as a medicine to relieve multiple pains. We can thank the alleged inventor of gin, a Dutch doctor named Franciscus Sylvius. But let's move on to the recipe for one of the gin-based cocktails!

 

Ingredients :

 

• 2cl of gin
• 12cl lemon or lime juice
• 12cl cane sugar syrup
• 40 basil leaves
• Lemon zest
• Ice cubes

Preparation :

 

• Reserve 1 leaf of the grass chosen for the decoration of the glass
• Mix the rest with the gin
• Strain through a fine sieve to remove small pieces of herbs
• Mix together lemon juice, flavored gin and cane sugar
• Fill a tall tumbler type glass with ice and pour the mixture over it.
• Decorate with the reserved leaf and lemon zest at the last moment

 

5. The Caipirinha

Invented by Brazilian peasants, the Caipirinha is prepared with cachaça, cane sugar and lime. It is a very popular cocktail and widely consumed in bars, restaurants and night clubs.

 

Ingredients :

 

• 5cl of Brazilian cachaça
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• Mint leaves
• 1 fresh lime
• Crushed ice

Preparation :

 

• Cut the lemons into quarters and remove the internal white membranes which provide the bitter taste of the lemon
• Then cut each quarter into 3 pieces
• Place the whole thing in the glass, peel side down and pulp up to avoid releasing bitterness when the lemons are crushed
• Sprinkle with sugar
• Press together with a pestle to release the lemon juice but without crushing too much
• Cover with crushed ice and pour in the cachaça
• Add the mint leaves and enjoy

6. The zombie

Powerful, tangy and sweet, the Zombie cocktail was born in 1934 in one of the first Polynesian-themed restaurants in Hollywood: Don the Beachcomber. It is an invention associated with the Polynesian-influenced tiki culture. Exotic cocktails, vahines, statuettes and torches are all elements that stem from this culture.

Ingredients :

 

• 3cl of amber rum
• 3cl of white rum
• 2cl lime juice
• 3cl of pineapple juice
• 3cl of grapefruit juice
• Grenadine
• Cane sugar syrup
• Mint leaves

Preparation :

 

• Pour all the ingredients into a shaker already filled with ice
• Shaker
• Filter the result obtained
• Pour into a tumbler glass

7. Thyme punch

The name of punch, this fruity rum-based drink, originated in India. Indeed, the term "punch" means "five", like the number of ingredients contained in the original recipe for this beverage: tafia, sugar, fruit juice, cinnamon and tea.

When it first saw the light of day, in the 17th century, the alcohol that made up its base was tafia, a kind of unrefined and poor quality rum. This was carried on board British merchant ships. Due to its high alcohol content and strong taste, sailors could only drink a few sips. They then had the idea of ​​adding exotic ingredients that they found during their travels in India, which was then part of the British Empire.

Ingredients :

 

• 200g of sugar
• 200ml of water
• Zest of 2 lemons
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Zest of 2 limes
• Juice of 2 limes
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1L of amber rum
• 120ml orgeat syrup
• 600ml smoked lemon thyme syrup
• 120ml white rum
• 120ml of water
• Cinnamon sticks to garnish

Preparation :

 

• In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, water, lemon and lime zest and juice
• Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat and cover.
• Take the thyme and bring it over a flame and turn it constantly
• As soon as it starts to smoke, put it in the pan
• Leave to infuse for 30 minutes
• In a punch bowl, mix the amber rum, the orgeat syrup, the thyme-smoked citrus syrup, the white rum and the water.
• Mix and place everything in the fridge for at least 4 hours
• Add ice cubes when serving

 

8. Dark rum

An original cocktail that draws on the Filipino roots of dark rum. The use of calamondin juice (small orange tree with an aromatic, bitter and acid taste) is largely reminiscent of this region of the world because kalamansi, another name for calamondin, is widely used in Filipino cuisine.

Ingredients :

 

• 5cl dark rum
• 2cl calamondin juice
• 2 cubes of brown sugar
• 1 bunch of mint leaves
• 2 wedges of a fresh lime

Preparation :

 

• Crush the lime wedges and the mint using a pestle then add all the ingredients in a shaker
• Shake with force
• Strain and serve in a long glass filled with ice
• Add mint leaves and lemon slices

 

9. The Mangolada

This cocktail develops an unctuous and velvety texture, resulting from the emulsion of lack and coconut cream. A mango pina colada, cleverly spiced up with toasted coconut.

Ingredients :

 

• 5cl of white rum
• 2cl fresh mango purée
• 2 tablespoons emulsified coconut cream
• Basil leaves

Preparation :

 

• Mix the coconut cream
• Pour it into an airtight box
• In a blender, put the ice cubes, mango puree, rum, coconut cream and basil leaves
• Mix and serve
• Decorate everything with roasted coconut

 

10. Basil Smash Gin

The Gin Basil Smash is for basil lovers!

The Gin Basil Smash, a neo-classic created in 2008 by Jörg Meyer at the Lions Bar in Hamburg. As its name suggests, it is a gin-based cocktail complemented by fresh notes of basil.

Ingredients :

 

• 2cl of gin
• 3cl of lemon juice
• 8 basil leaves
• 2cl of sugar syrup
• Ice cubes

Preparation :

 

• Place the basil leaves and lemon juice in a shaker
• Loot to diffuse the flavors
• Add sugar, ice cubes then gin
• Shake the shaker vigorously
• Filter the contents of the shaker
• Serve directly in a glass filled with ice cubes
• Decorate with a basil leaf

Indeed, it was customary to drink strong alcohol or aromatic concentrates to guard against disease.

These mixtures of drinks with alcohol and various aromatic and decorative elements can be classified into two large families, long drinks (or elongated drinks) from 12 to 25cl mainly served for aperitifs and short drinks (or short drinks) from 7 to 10cl eaten as an aperitif or digestive!