FLOWERS & HERBS IN COCKTAILS

A great way to introduce some new, exciting flavors and freshen up your cocktails is by using flowers and herbs. If you don’t know where to begin don’t panic, Mike Di Tota, aka the botanical bartender from The Bonnie, New York, is here to give you some insight and inspiration on how you can use these different flavors in your cocktails.

My story

In my twenties, I took a job at a small plant nursery to combat restaurant burnout, and what started as a simple retail gig became an obsession. I quickly transitioned from growing a few basic houseplants at home, to nurturing a collection of over 200 orchids in my tiny studio apartment. I became infatuated with the plant world and enrolled in the New York Botanical Garden School of Professional Horticulture. At the same time, I landed my first bartending job at a neighborhood gastropub, Sweet Afton, in Astoria, New York.

By night, I was learning about craft Gins and small batch Whiskies and by day I was studying the garden’s 250 acres, becoming an expert on the 1,000 plants I’d need to know before graduation. In my backyard I was growing herbs and flowers like scented geraniums, lemon balm and agastache, becoming intimate with how they grew, which parts of the plant gave off aroma, and the best ways to extract their flavor in edible form so that I could use them in my cocktails. I discovered that there are so many easy, accessible methods to explore botanicals with ingredients you can grow yourself or easily procure from the grocery store, and these new flavors can help you invent some exciting cocktail creations!

Syrups

Syrups are one of my favorite ways to incorporate plant notes into a cocktail. Steeping soft herbs like tarragon, thyme or cilantro in a slightly cooled 1:1 simple syrup releases their bright flavors; heating hard spices like caraway seeds and allspice berries activates their aromatic oils. Pureeing fresh mint into a simple syrup is a terrific way to extract its flavor without the hassle of muddling. It’s important to remember that soft herbs work best when chopped, pureed or steeped in warm syrup but not cooked (heating mint over a flame will produce a rancid flavor). Barks, roots and dried spices like cinnamon, whole cloves and coriander seeds can be boiled to infuse a simple syrup; exposing them to heat releases their flavors.

Garnish

A perfect drink stimulates multiple senses, so the garnish is an important opportunity to create a visual preview of the cocktail’s flavors, as well as an aroma to precede each sip. Delicate wild honeysuckle blossoms, scented geranium leaves and fennel fronds are lovely atop a glass; fresh bay leaves and thyme can add great savory aromas.

Infusions

Liquor infusions are another simple way to introduce complexity to a drink. Dried herbs and flowers like lavender, chamomile and bay leaves are better suited to infusing liquors than fresh herbs and flowers: they impart maximum flavor in minimum time.

Infusing chamomile into Gin is a personal favorite pairing: the flowers give the spirit a beautiful golden hue, and the floral flavor is an unexpected counterpoint to the spirit’s juniper notes. Lavender is a lovely aromatic match for Vermouth Blanc; dried hibiscus flowers add both a tannic astringency and a vibrant ruby color to Tequila.

Get exploring

There’s a whole botanical world for bar staff to explore, and you don’t have to be a bitters geek to incorporate herbs and flowers into your drinks. The lightbulb moment for me was when I realized that every liquor comes from a plant in some way: roots, bark, stems, seeds, flowers, fruit and vegetables. My two paths converged when horticulture and mixology collided, and I continue to learn more from their interaction every day. The plant kingdom is an endless source of inspiration for me.

Key serves

Black Velvet

• 3 oz. Cava Sparkling Wine
• 3 oz. GUINNESS
• .75 oz. fresh mint syrup*
• Fresh mint leaves for garnish

METHOD:

Add syrup and Cava to a Champagne flute. Fill with GUINNESS. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.

*Mint Syrup:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

1 bunch fresh mint leaves

METHOD:

In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a simmer, stirring to dissolve.

Remove from heat and let cool.

Add to a high-powered blender.

Blend syrup with mint leaves until smooth.

Strain, removing mint pulp and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Winter’s Finale

• 2 oz. fennel-infused TANQUERAY Gin*
• .75 oz. lemongrass syrup
• .5 oz. fresh lime juice
• 3 dashes dandelion bitters
• Pinch of salt
• Fennel frond for garnish

METHOD:

Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice.

Shake and strain into a chilled coupe.

Garnish with fennel frond.

*Fennel-Infused Gin

1 Fennel bulb (roughly chopped)

1 750 mL bottle of TANQUERAY GIN

METHOD:

Pour full contents of the Gin bottle and fennel into an airtight container.

Cover, shake and let sit for five to seven days to infuse.

Strain.