Cultivating a Summer Cocktail Garden

Summer can be a stressful time for moms; between the heat and the kids, sometimes we all just need a delicious drink.

Last summer cocktail gardens kept popping up on my Pinterest feed, so I decided to give it a try. I got down and dirty and planted mints, lavender, basils, rosemary, and lovage among a few other favorites.

Herbs are great for beginning gardeners; they’re often more forgiving than vegetable and fruit plants. Basil and lovage are like babies: they need some attention in the beginning, and then they’ll thrive. On the other hand, mint is like a toddler: it wants to be everywhere and anywhere it can get to, and you have to be stern with it or it will take over the garden. I bought established lavender and rosemary plants; they can be hard to begin from seed. They’re both more like teens: you check in on them occasionally, see if they need anything and let them do their thing.

So why plant a cocktail garden? Here are three fabulous reasons:

They Don’t Talk Back

Water the plants and they’ll thrive. They won’t ask you for warmer or colder water. Or flavored water. Or water from another hose because it isn’t their favorite color of the week. They won’t ask you for anything else. You can hang with them in absolute silence and love it. Step on them accidently and they’ll grace the world with a beautiful scent instead of world-ending sobs. They are simply there to fulfill your need for delicious drinks (or meals if you’re feeling more adventurous).

They Provide You with Accomplishment

Let’s face it: we constantly worry that we’re screwing our kids up. Growing herbs and then creating drinks is a simple but meaningful accomplishment. You plant them. You care for them. You enjoy the fruits of your labor. There’s just something awesome about waking up and walking through the grass in pjs and bare feet to water my herbs with my morning coffee in hand. They’re perky in the morning and each day I think “I’m doing a great job here! Look how beautiful they’re doing!” And just ten minutes later I’m in a positive frame of mind for the day.

They’re Delicious

Whether you choose to add them to alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks, herbal infusions are just delicious. (Plus, herbs are full of vitamins, minerals, and other good stuff, so if you enjoy them raw then you’re making healthier versions of alcoholic drinks—yay!). Seriously, though, herbs create an amazingly delicious dimension to a variety of drinks. Whether you’re incorporating chocolate mint, mojito mint, lavender, Thai basil, cinnamon basil, licorice basil…the important thing is to try them all.

From my recipe cabinet to yours, here are some of my favorite summer cocktail garden recipes. Enjoy!

Finely chop one peach and measure out ½ cup of sugar, ¼ cup of water, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and 1 to 2 teaspoons of fresh lavender flowers.

Place everything in a pan and simmer on medium heat for several minutes. Puree the mixture until it’s smooth; you may need to add a bit more water.

Place in the fridge and cool.

Pour the cooled mixture in the bottom of the glass.

Slowly pour your favorite sparkling wine to fill the glass.

Here’s where you can use all the mint you’d like!

I love experimenting with different mints—especially pineapple and ginger mint. This specific recipe is for a single mojito, but can be easily multiplied for guests.

Grab one medium mint spring (should have 10-15 good sized leaves), one lime, white sugar, white rum, and club soda.

Wash, then strip the leaves.

Cut the lime into four equal wedges.

Squeeze one lime wedge onto the leaves in a mortar.

Muddle the leaves to release their awesome essential oils.

Squeeze two more lime wedges into the mixture, add the sugar, and muddle again (if you prefer less sweet mojitos, just add less sugar).

Dump into a glass, add ice, then rum, then the club soda.

Most bars use a simple syrup that’s mint flavored—you’ll notice that this homemade mojito will be a beautiful green color with the freshly muddled mint.

Taste and add more sugar, lime juice, and mint sprigs if desired.

Nothing announces summer like watermelon!

Why not add some watermelon to your mojitos for a refreshing celebratory drink?

Follow the recipe above, but add ¼ to a ½ cup of pureed watermelon to the mix and combine with the muddled mint and lime before adding the rum and club soda.

Chop one tablespoon (or more depending on how much you love spicy basil) of fresh Thai basil leaves.

Muddle them to a nice pulp and mix in 1 tablespoon of honey or agave.

Add 2 oz of light rum and ½ cup of fresh blueberries and muddle again.

Transfer to a glass then squeeze some fresh lime juice over the mixture.

Add ice and about 6 ounces of sparkling water and enjoy.


Need other ideas? Try a Strawberry Basil Lemonade, Pepino’s Revenge (great if you’re growing cucumbers too!), Blackberry Mint Julep, or a Vodka-Thyme Lemonade.

Whatever type of drinks you prefer, there’s an herbal pairing out there for you.


After surviving ten years as a high school English teacher, Kathryn opted to create imaginary worlds and spend her days hunting for ladybugs with her daughter. She has written for ChildGood and Babies and Breastfeeding magazines as well as various sites around the web.