Master Recipe for an Herb Simple Syrup for Cocktails + Master Recipe for Cocktails with Herbs

One recipe. Any kind of herb (almost) = a lovely herb simple syrup for cocktails. It’s easier than you think!

On my facebook page, I asked readers if they’d be interested in having me develop some recipes for herb-infused cocktails. The answer: a resounding yes!

A touch of a rosemary simple syrup in a glass of sparkling wine adds a certain" “je ne sais quoi” to cocktails. Photo by Katie Rosario.

So in the past few days, I’ve been developing some cocktail recipes with herb simple syrups. I’ll be posting a few of the best recipes for cocktails using these syrups in coming days.

Meanwhile, if you want to start making herb simple syrups with herbs you have from garden (or in my case, from a lovely friend), I’ll give you my master recipe for an herb simple syrup, plus a template for making great cocktails with any herb simple syrup.

P.S.: These herb simple syrups are not only great for cocktails and non-alcohol spritzes, lemonade, and other drinks, they’re great for other culinary uses—like stirring into fruit salads, glazing cakes, infusing whipped cream, and more.

You can use just about any herb for this recipe, though when it comes to dill, oregano, and chives, I just wasn’t feeling it! The best herbs for making cocktail syrups are thyme, rosemary, sage, mint, and lavender, I was particularly struck by the sage simple syrup.

Master Recipe for Herb Simple Syrup for Cocktails

The best herbs for making cocktail syrups are thyme, rosemary, sage, mint, and lavender.

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons packed thyme, rosemary, sage, or lavender leaves or 1 cup fresh
mint leaves

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool at room temperature for 1/2 hour. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a jar; discard leaves. Refrigerate immediately. Store in the refrigerator up to 1 week. Makes about 1/2 cup, enough to flavor 8 to 16 cocktails.

Notes:
• You can easily double this recipe if you want to make a huge batch.
• I like my herb syrups to offer a subtle backdrop of the herb’s flavors. If you want more insistent herb flavors, you can use up to 1/2 cup herbs (1 1/2 cups for mint). No more than that, though, or it will bitter-up your cocktail.

Rosemary-Gin Cocktail with gin, lemon juice and rosemary simple syrup.—use my template below for the measurements. For a longer drink, top it off with sparkling water, as pictured.

How to Use an Herb Syrup in Cocktails

Here’s a mix-and-match template for a classic cocktail using an herb syrup. I’m going to get much more specific in coming days—and offer you my favorites—but for now, here’s how I’ve been using the herb syrups for cocktails. If you want to experiment, this is a good formula to work with.

1 1/2 ounces clear hard liquor, such as vodka, gin, rum, or tequila
3/4 ounce lemon or lime juice
1/2 to 1 ounce* herb simple syrup, such as thyme, rosemary, sage, lavender, or mint simple
syrup
Sparkling water, Pelligrino, Perrier, if desired
Fresh herb sprig, for garnish

Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Top liquid with ice. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Strain into a short cocktail glass; add ice. Top with sparkling water, if you like. Garnish with an herb sprig.

* I’m finding that these herb simple syrups are very sweet (go figure!). So adjust this amount depending on how sweet you like your drink. And be sure to add the fresh herb sprig to the drink — it will help highlight the herb flavor in the drink itself.