Grow Your Own Cocktail Herbs

Add some homegrown flavor to your favorite cocktail or non-alcoholic beverage.

Surprise your guests with an edible lovage (Levisticum officinale) straw. This perennial herb grows 5 feet tall and has hollow celery flavored stems. Use it to sip a bloody Mary, for pesto or to flavor soups and stews.

Flavor simple syrups, infuse your own bitters or steep the dried lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) leaves into a tea. Add some panache to your beverages with a lemongrass stir stick.

Sweeten your beverages with fresh stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) leaves. Use them to create a simple syrup, seep into tea or muddle with other herbs to flavor your drinks.

Don’t relegate your sage to meat dishes and stuffing, include it in your favorite drinks. Add some color to your garden, container and drinks with tricolor sage (Salvia officinalis ‘Tricolor’). It has the same flavor as the green leafed sage. Or add a sweeter tangy twist with pineapple sage (Salvia elegans).

A bit more information: Harvest a few extra sprigs of basil to include in your favorite beverages. It combines nicely with lemonade, lime, cucumber or muddle it with sugar for a unique flavored mojito. Just a sprig of basil can dress up any drink and add a subtle hint of flavor.