Besides cooking or maybe infusing teas, cocktails are another great way to put those gorgeous fresh garden herbs to use. Check out these deliciously simple summer cocktail recipes inspired by summer herbs! Anyone can make these with simple and easy ingredients!

Delicious and easy summer cocktail recipes for cooling off on hot days

If you started your herb garden early on in the spring, then you probably have an abundance of lush green edibles to choose from right about now in July. My first idea is always to muddle fresh herbs into my drinks or create fresh syrups to infuse herbal flavors into every sip. Mint and basil always seem to grow the fastest for me. I keep some of my herbs potted (mint spreads like crazy) and some I plant in the ground, like basil.

Fresh Garden Herbs For Garden Cocktails

For most of the summer I keep my kitchen window lined with little glasses and jars filled with a mix of what I have growing. For me, it works as a little reminder to keep incorporating them into my cooking, my salads, drinks, etc. It also adds a bright pop of green to the kitchen. Fresh herbs bring a flavorful and magical touch anything! Use them as often as you can when they are in season…especially in cocktails! Here are a few deliciously simple garden fresh cocktails I had fun putting together over the summer:

Easy summer cocktail #1: Sparkling Vodka cocktail with rosÉ

This easy sparkling berry vodka cocktail does not have an herbal element to it. It’s actually visually inspired by the pale blush-colored tea roses growing in the garden…and well, nothing says roses like a dreamy pale pink rosé wine cocktail sitting in an elegant long champagne flute waiting for you to come taste it!

Garden Fresh summer Cocktail #2: Minty Bourbon Cherry Smash

Here I used fresh cherries that I crushed along with mint leaves. A little lime, simply syrup and soda water make it a perfect refreshing bourbon sipper for summer. Like most of my drinks, it’s not too sweet. I like my summer cocktails with some type of a bubbly note and on the drier side as the heat makes me not crave so much sugar. But, it is also a very easy cocktail to manipulate. Add a dash more syrup if you like it nice and sweet. You can always continue to balance the sweetness with the acid: lime.

The addition of a sweet berry liquor goes great with bourbon and cranks up the booze factor a bit. For this I used Chicago-based spirit Apologue Aronia, which is a luscious velvety berry liqueur with a deep garnet color. I also use this in a berry bourbon highball which I pictured further down.

Fresh Cherry Bourbon Cocktail with Mint

A fresh smashed cherry cocktail with bourbon and vibrant mint for any occasion.

4.50 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

COURSE Drinks

CUISINE American

SERVINGS

Equipment

Mixing Glass

Muddler

Bar Spoon

Ingredients

3 Whole Cherries - pitted
3 or 4 Mint leaves
1 Wedge Lime - for squeezing in
1/2 oz Simple syrup
1.5 oz Bourbon
.5 oz Berry Liqueur - I used Apologue Aronia
Sparkling Water - for topping off

Instructions

In a mixing add pitted cherries and mint leaves.
Muddle fruit and herbs until the cherries are crushed and mint is fragrant.
Add in simle syrup, lime, berry liqueur and bourbon.
Top off with ice and stir with a bar spoon until everything is combined and well chilled.
Pour into a tall glass and top off with a light splash of soda water. Give it a gentle stir.
Garnish with fresh cherries and mint.

Notes

If you would like this on the sweeter side, add more simple syrup by the teaspoon until desired sweetness is reached. You can also continue to balance the sweetness as you go with lime.

KEYWORD bourbon cocktails, cherry cocktails, drinks with fresh cherry, easy bourbon drinks, refreshing bourbon cocktails, summer bourbon cocktails, whiskey bourbon cocktails

Tried this recipe?Show me how it went! Tag @RedWineDragons and hashtag #redwinedragons!

Fresh easy summer Cocktail #3: Bourbon Highball Cocktail with Lime & Mint

My inspiration here is aunt Sonia. Sometimes she will come over and say, “Make me a highball!” For her, this is a tall glass filled with ice, a splash of whiskey and some ginger ale soda. It will get finished with the squeeze of a lemon wedge and a maraschino cherry.

For this last simple garden fresh cocktail, I basically took my aunt’s favorite whiskey & ginger ale highball and threw it up for a spin. I used bourbon in this one and added fresh lime instead of lemon. I added some Apologue Aronia berry-flavored liquor, lots of fresh mint and topped that off with ginger ale.

What you get is a bolder, boozier version of my aunt’s cocktail with a summery minty kick. This is not overwhelmingly sweet and more on the refreshing side. If you want it a little sweeter, add a few teaspoons of plain simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water heated to combine then chilled) to the cocktail shaker and then shake it up. For me, the berry liqueur and ginger ale are sweet enough but you can always fit it to your tastes.

Easy Bourbon Ginger Ale Cocktail with Fresh Mint