Gourmet Gardener: From your garden to your glass

Home-made syrups are great to enhance your cocktails – something to think about now that restrictions are easing and guests can call over, writes Tara Kate Linane.

Albeit cautiously, entertaining family during the festive season is back on the menu, and what would an occasion be without a fancy cocktail in hand?

Creating your own homemade syrups make perfect ingredients to enhance your festive garden-to-glass themed cocktails. Garden syrups are simple to make and can be produced from the most uncomplicated combination of components.

Infusing a simple syrup recipe with herbs from your garden will leave you with a sweetener to not only add interest to cocktails but also can be used to flavour tea or even used over fresh fruit.

It requires two ingredients – 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar. When water and sugar are heated together, the result is a smooth syrup once the granules are dissolved by boiling, and infusing this with fresh herbs can add an element of sophistication and surprise.

It is also a great way of using up annual herbs you have grown before the hard frost kills them off, for example basil or coriander.

There are a number of suitable herbs and you can add them in the following quantities as an example: Choose 1 herb per batch of syrup;

• 5 fresh basil sprigs (5-7 inches long)

• 4 fresh rosemary sprigs (5-7 inches long)

• 1 handful fresh mint sprigs

• 6 fresh thyme sprigs (3-4 inches long)

• 8 bay leaves

Once you have selected the flavour you want, add the herb of choice to the syrup.

Let it boil for 60 seconds.

Remove from heat and let the herbs steep for about 30 minutes as the syrup cools.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the herbs from the syrup.

Strain the liquid, bottle and label.

You can experiment with different herbs and combinations to suit your palate and it may lead you to grow some more unusual varieties of herbs in your garden.

Try growing some sweet Thai basil along with dark opal basil for interesting syrups great with gin.

Like the basil syrup, you can get myriad mint flavours, from pineapple mint, to chocolate mint, peppermint, spearmint and apple mint, all worth growing in your garden next year.

One of my favourites is rosemary syrup. Like the essence of a pine-scented hot summer’s day distilled into syrup form, it’s heavenly in drinks.

For an aromatic and unlikely syrup, try lavender.

The floral undertones play well with other citrus elements in a drink and will have your guests guessing.

Growing a herbal cocktail garden gives you easy access to all the delightful ingredients for making delicious cocktail syrups.

You might consider putting all your herbs in pots near the kitchen door so you can pick them easily and possibly even bring them indoors for winter.

Make sure your herbs get full sun and sufficient water. Always use herbs that are free from pesticides and contaminants and wash them thoroughly before use.

Make small batches of the syrup so you can use it within a month.

Home-grown garden syrups can make delightful gifts for friends or neighbours offering a taste of summer over the coming winter months.

It may even inspire them to grow their own herbs to bring from garden to glass!