Windsor Garden| A Botanical Cocktail
In my search for cocktails to serve at my Garden Themed Mother’s Day Party, I was excited to find The Windsor Garden Cocktail from Empress Gin. This cocktail made with ingredients like thyme, basil, rosemary, mint leaves, lemon juice, and Empress Gin is the epitome of the botanical cocktail.
The Qualities that I love about Empress Gin
Empress 1908 is made in a small batch using eight botanicals; juniper, rose coriander seed, grapefruit peel, ginger root, cinnamon bark, butterfly pea blossoms, and Fairmont Empress Blend Tea. The pea blossom gives it an all-natural indigo hue with a secret to reveal. The addition of citrus or tonic causes the gin to transform from a vivid indigo blue to a delicate soft pink. The addition of lemon juice in the Windsor Garden turned this cocktail a soft lavender causing it to not only be delicious but lovely to look at.
For Champagne coupes similar to the ones above click here.
The popular trend for botanical cocktails continues and Spring is the perfect time to take advantage of fresh homegrown herbs from your garden. Spring is also a great time to try your home bartender skills and make some cocktails with your own freshly plucked herbs. If you are brown thumb like me a local farmers market or a generous neighbor can supply your herbs. I’m fortunate to have several neighbors that have a need to share their abundance and I’m regularly offered fresh herb and citrus fruits. I can attest that every botanical cocktail I’ve made tastes remarkedly better with fresh ingredients.
I am all about short cuts, but nothing beats the enhanced flavor that fresh herbs and freshly squeezed lemon juice lend to this drink. I was pleasantly surprised to find the combination of herbs in this cocktail created such a pleasant array of flavors. This cocktail can be described as Spring in a glass.
The Windsor Garden is the ideal libation for a garden-inspired party, an elegant alfresco dinner, or just enjoyed on a beautiful spring or summer night.
For Champagne coupes similar to the ones above click here.
The ingredients that make up this cocktail are the following:
Empress Gin, fresh lemon juice, Simple syrup, thyme, basil, rosemary & mint leaves.
Ivory and Noire serving tips:
The recipe calls for this cocktail to be shaken and served in a glass with crushed ice. As you see from the photo above, I decided not to use ice because I wanted to use these beautiful fluted coupes for a sophisticated presentation. To prevent the cocktail from being too strong, I shook the drink a little longer to dilute it. You can also lessen the amount of gin if you prefer to serve it without crushed ice.
I’m all about making serving cocktails easier for the host and this works best when you make batches of a drink. Depending on how many servings you need, double or triple these ingredients depending on the size of your shaker. Store the batch in the refrigerator to chill before your guests arrive. When the cocktail is ready to serve, I would offer chilled champagne coupes and several decorative bowls with the different herbs contained in the drink for garnish. You will get the most of these garnishes if you release their flavor. This can be done by holding the herbs between your hands and lightly clapping to release their oils and scent before you use the herb to garnish your drink. Click here for the recipe Windsor Garden Cocktail. Cheers!
For another botanical-inspired cocktail click here for the recipe for my Lavender French 75.