Inside The Spice House
You all know that drinks like Mojito and Mint Julep are made with a handful of mint but it’s not the only herb you can add to your drinks. Whether it’s mint, basil, lavender, rosemary, cilantro, even chilies from your own garden or spices such as ginger, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, pink peppercorns that you picked up from your local market. The flavor possibilities are endless. Fresh herbs can be quite simply muddled into the cocktail as it’s mixed or you can infuse different spirits such as vodka, tequila, whiskey, or rum, in fact most spirits, which saves time when making your drinks.
In the Spice House we are quite partial to a gin and tonic that has been infused with a black cardamom pod or a teaspoon full of pink peppercorns! We also like to take the time to make simple herb / spice infused syrups. Our favorites this summer are Basil Syrup, happily we have an abundance in the garden, and a simple Ginger Lemon Syrup. You can create your own simple syrups with herbs, flower petals or spices of your choice. Here’s how we make ours, it’s a good idea to muddle the herbs you have chosen first:
- Basil Simple Syrup – 1 cup loosely packed basil, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water. Though we prefer to use unrefined sugar it does make the syrup a little darker, it’s up to you!
- Ginger Lemon Syrup – 60g of peeled and thinly sliced ginger (more if you prefer a stronger syrup). One whole lemon / lime cut into small pieces, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water.
Method
You’ll want to start with a basic simple syrup… For each flavour, combine in a saucepan:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar or unrefined sugar
- herbs or spices of choice
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir the mixture occasionally. You’ll want to let it gently simmer for 7 minutes.
- Strain and allow to cool then refrigerate
It’s fun to experiment and whilst the simple syrup lasts a while in the fridge you can always freeze in ice cube trays ready to concoct your own cocktail/mocktail wherever you want! Sometimes when we don’t have time to create a cocktail, we’ll just pour a little simple herb syrup over ice then top it up with Prosecco or just soda water for a perfect spritzer! Though we do love a Basil Mojito or a Basil Limoncello cocktail!
Deliciously refreshing mocktails can be made by using any herb/floral syrup and topped with soda water or ginger ale!
Our favourite mocktail for this summer:
Ginger Hibiscus Mocktail
Option 1 (made with homemade ginger syrup)
60ml brewed hibiscus tea
60ml homemade lemon ginger syrup
120ml to 180ml sparkling water
Option 2 (made with store-bought ginger ale / beer)
60ml brewed hibiscus tea
120ml to 180ml ginger ale / beer
1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice
Directions
Option 1 (made with homemade ginger syrup)
- Brew hibiscus tea, and allow it to cool to room temperature, or store it in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Combine 60ml of hibiscus tea and 60ml of ginger lemon syrup in the bottom of a large glass. Add ice cubes, and then top with sparkling water. Serve with lemon slices as a garnish.
Option 2 (made with store-bought ginger ale / beer)
- Brew hibiscus tea, and allow it to cool to room temperature, or store it in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Combine 60ml of hibiscus tea and the lemon (or lime) juice into the bottom of a large glass. Add ice cubes, and then top with ginger ale / beer. Serve with lemon slices as a garnish.
Enjoy the summer and stay cool!
For more recipes or info visit: www.spiceandeasycyprus.com or call us on +357 99104622
