3 Divine Summer Cocktail Recipes with Herbs

Cocktail recipes with herbs are easily our favorite kind of cocktail recipes. Adding fresh herbs to your drinks is an easy way to elevate your at-home bar. These 3 cocktail recipes with herbs are oh-so delicious.

Lavender lemonade, a thyme bourbon cocktail, and basil simple syrup are exactly what you need to get started this week.

Lavender Lemonade

Nothing screams summer like a chilled glass of tart, homemade lemonade — poolside and in sunglasses, obviously. Our preferred drink of the summer is this elegant lavender lemonade. This recipe adds a floral touch to the sweet classic.

Make it boozy if you wish — it tastes just as good spiked.

INGREDIENTS:

• ¼ cup lavender
• 4 cups fresh lemon juice
• 3 cups of sugar
• 3 cups of water

HOW-TO:

Bring sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Stir in lavender. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Strain, discarding lavender. Let cool stir in lemon juice service over ice.

Basil Simple Syrup

This basil simple syrup is a go-to in our cocktail kitchen. Basil’s sweet flavor brings a unique flair to any drink. This syrup works especially beautifully with gin, vodka, or tequila.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup of water
• 10 large basil leaves

HOW-TO:

To make the basil simple syrup, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture up to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Add basil leaves, turn off the heat, cover, and let the syrup infuse for at least 30 minutes.

Store simple syrup in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 30 days.

Bourbon Thyme Cocktail

This bourbon thyme cocktail recipe from Salted Plains is one of our all-time favorites. With a thyme simple syrup and a touch of lemon peel, it’s a perfectly balanced cocktail. Follow the link to Salted Plains website or see the full recipe below. (Tessa, the founder and creator of Salted Plains shares incredible recipes, stories and insights on her blog, check it out and we think you will love her as much as we do!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 tsp thyme simple syrup (recipe below)
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 ½ oz bourbon
• 1 lemon peel for garnish

Thyme Simple Syrup:

• ½ cup honey
• ½ cup of water
• 4 sprigs thyme

HOW-TO:

1. Start by making the simple syrup. In a small saucepan, combine honey, water, and thyme sprigs over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, and stir frequently until honey dissolves into water. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Once cool, remove thyme sprigs and transfer to an airtight container.
2. When ready to make the cocktail, add 4 tsp thyme simple syrup and 3 dashes of bitters to an Old Fashioned glass. Swirl syrup and bitters around in glass. Add bourbon, ice, lemon peel, and stir.

Store extra thyme simple syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.