Cocktails From the Garden

On a mission to craft the perfect cocktail? Skip the trip to your local grocery store and instead, rummage around your summer garden for the items you need. Whether you're eating or drinking, fresh ingredients are always a welcome touch. Experiment with different flavors to create your own signature drink or let others' recipes inspire your next martini, mojito or margarita.

This muddled cocktail by mixologist Vincenzo Marianella of Santa Monica's Copa d' Oro lounge is sure to be a hit. "The drink is fresh, crispy and tart," Marianella says. To make, muddle 10 mint leaves with 2 ounces grapefruit vodka, 3/4 ounce St. Germain, 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice and 1/4 ounce simple syrup. Shake, strain and serve with a bell pepper ring and mint sprig garnish.

"The vanilla bean in this mojito adds a creamy balance that seems to weave together the tart berries and the 'herbaceousness' of the basil," says Christina Sleeper, chef and chief operating officer for Sleeper's Gourmet. Run 1 pound of strawberries through a food processor. Place 3 fresh, muddled basil sprigs in a highball glass and add 1 ounce of the mashed strawberries. Add 2 ounces rum, a dab of vanilla bean paste to taste, then fill to the brim with club soda. Garnish with half a strawberry and a basil leaf.

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This refreshing rosemary cucumber lemonade can be prepared with or without the vodka. To make, in a shaker with ice, add the following ingredients: 2 ounces vodka, 1 1/2 ounces cucumber juice, 1 ounce rosemary simple syrup and 3 ounces lemonade. "Shake well and pour contents over fresh ice using a strainer," says Dan Scheuring, mixologist at Blue Plate Catering in Chicago. "Garnish with a cucumber slice and sprig of rosemary."

If rosemary cucumber lemonade isn't your thing, perhaps you'll enjoy an elderflower sour. "It's a grownup lemonade with a fancy twist," says Mark Addison, founder of EventStyle, a firm for celebrity events and galas. "The infusion of elderflower adds a floral note, similar in quality to a fine fragrance." Combine 2 ounces vodka, 1/2 ounce elderflower liqueur and 2 1/2 ounces lemonade. Shake vigorously, strain and garnish with fresh mint from the garden.

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If you're lucky enough to grow citrus in your backyard, give this tangerine-mint bubble bliss cocktail a try. Sleeper says to "muddle and macerate three small tangerines in a bowl," removing any seeds as you go. Next add a sprig of mint, 1 ounce lemon vodka and 1 ounce of freshly squeezed tangerine juice to a champagne glass. Fill just under the brim with champagne (or Prosecco, Sleeper says) and garnish with a twist of tangerine peel.

Few things are as refreshing as watermelon. Add a little rum to the mix, as food and drink blogger Valerie Rice suggests, and you've got the perfect summer beverage. Combine 4 cups of diced watermelon with 1/8 cup sugar and the juice of 1 lime. Mash until all the watermelon is flattened and the juice is extracted. Add 4 cups of water and then strain into another pitcher. Add 2 ounces rum, pour over ice and garnish with lime.

This refreshing cucumber version of a margarita is perfect for a hot summer day. "In a small bowl or food processor, pulverize two small cucumbers until they are a juice consistency," Sleeper says. In a cocktail blender, fill with ice and add 8 ounces tequila, 6 ounces Cointreau, your cucumber juice and the juice of 4 limes. Pulse and blend to your desired consistency, then pour into sea salt-rimmed glasses with cucumber and lime garnishes.

Gimlets, which rose to fame in the 1920s, are typically made with gin, lime and soda. For a summer garden twist on the original, Scheuring suggests adding a little celery juice and syrup. In a shaker with ice, combine 1 1/2 ounces gin, 1/4 ounce lemon or lime juice, 1 ounce lavender simple syrup and 3 ounces celery juice. Shake well and strain into a chilled glass.

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The salty dog, which is composed of ruby red grapefruit juice and vodka, is Rice's default cocktail choice. "It's as easy as it gets to make and always tastes super refreshing," she says. "The key is to use the best possible ingredients, including freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, top-shelf vodka and real sea salt." To make, combine 4 ounces freshly squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice with 2 ounces vodka. Pour into a sea salt-rimmed glass and enjoy.