Savor the last of warmer weather with these cocktail recipes—all made with herbs from local garden shops.

All greenery and herbs—plus our backdrop—are from Leaf & Petal in Mountain Brook Village.

Southern Spiced Mule

Vodka, Buffalo Rock Ginger Ale, Lime and Fresh Mint Refresher

  • 2 lime wedges
  • 4 sprigs mint
  • Ice
  • 1.5 ounces vodka
  • Buffalo Rock Ginger Ale

In mule mug, muddle lime wedges and sprigs of mint. Add ice and vodka, and top with Buffalo Rock Ginger Ale. Stir and enjoy.

Through the Pines

Maple and Rosemary Bourbon Sour

  • 2 ounces Cooper’s Craft Bourbon
  • 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 ounce dark maple syrup
  • 1 large sprig of rosemary, plus more for garnish

Crush the large sprig of rosemary in your hand to release the oils and add to cocktail shaker.

Add the bourbon, lemon juice, maple syrup and ice just above the level of liquid, and shake vigorously for 15 seconds

Strain the mixture into rocks glasses containing large ice cubes and garnish with extra sprigs of rosemary.

Girl Thyme

Gin, Rosè and Thyme Cocktail

  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 bunch thyme
  • 1 ounce gin
  • 3-4 ounces rosé
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

In saucepan, heat 1/2 cup water and 1/2 sugar over medium heat and dissolve to make simple syrup. Turn heat off and add bunch of thyme and allow to steep for 5-10 minutes. Strain through fine mesh strainer and allow to cool.

To mix the cocktail, pour gin, 1/2 ounce thyme simple syrup (directions in paragraph above), lemon juice and ice to a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds and strain into a cocktail/martini glass. Top with rosé and garnish with edible flower and sprig of thyme. 

 

Charcuterie Board Menu

Make your cocktail hour all the better by assembling a (no-cook) board of meats and cheese. All products pictured are by Stone Hollow Farmstead unless otherwise noted. Find their line of products at The Pantry in Crestline.

  • The Foods of Athenry Gourmet Sodabread Toasts
  • Strawberry Jalapeno Jam
  • Orange Blossom Honey
  • Goat Chevre with White Chive Blossom and Pepper
  • Peach Preserves
  • La Quercia Nduja Spicy Prosciutto Spread
  • Feta Cheese
  • Fermin Iberico Pork Dry-Cured Chorizo Sausage
  • Pimento Cheese
  • Pickled Okra

Meredith Tolleson, pictured on right, blogs about travel, recipes and lifestyle tips for the modern Southern woman on thesouthernsource.com and on Instagram @thesouthernsource. She is pictured here with the“Italia” Bar Cart by Summer Classics, available at their showroom locally.

How to Grow Thriving Herbs

Tips From Kris Blevons, Oak Street Garden Shop General Manager

  • Pick your herbs regularly, perhaps to make cocktails. The more you use them, the more they grow, like cut flowers like zinnias.
  • Keep them watered especially through the heat of summer, and you can back off some on watering as temperatures drop in the fall.
  • Going into the fall, consider planting growing parsley alone or with flowers to last through winter. Rosemary is also a good evergreen shrub, and thyme is good for containers but can get nipped by the cold
  • Most herbs want a lot of sun, and accordingly, they typically grow better outdoors than indoors.
  • The best time to water is in the morning so the foliage wet it can dry out before nighttime temperatures set in.
  • Always allow herbs room to grow if you plant them in a pot.