From the garden to the drink

Mother Nature has a bounty of products when it comes to feeding us, and being healthy. So why look elsewhere when it comes to making great tipple Say hello to botanical cocktails, which incorporate the various gifts of nature into your glass of alcohol. Using parts of plants such as barks, roots, leaves, fruits and seeds, mixologists can create drinks and new infusions.

It’s easy to turn to botanical products like juniper berries, citrus peels, corianders and more for making flavoured alcohol infusions and they make for great cocktail ingredients as well. What works in favour of these botanical elements is the fact that they’re safe, non-toxic and high on flavours — something to enhance the drinks with. We have cocktails like rosemary whiskey sour that builds on the flavour of the rosemary, the Thai mojito that incorporates the highly flavoured lemongrass and others that contain the holy basil, and prominently feature citrus water.

Botanical ingredients also help balance the drink. Besides infusing them in the drink, you can use them by sprinkling products over the drink, rimming the glass or flaming it. Be warned, though. It’s quite easy to go overboard with natural produces like leaves and stems, making your drink look like a glass of salad. One must research quantities used in these drinks before preparing them since potency and after effects of each botanical element is different.

Any renowned bartended will tell you that some of the most popular liquors are a result of home infusions.

Bartenders these days allow you to choose from fresh fruits, botanicals, veggies and infused water to create your own cocktail. Detox and green bars are usually also used during brunches of destination weddings to help you rid of your hangovers! So go on and get to your pantry to design your own botanical drink!

Binny Dadwal is the founder of Drinq Bar Academy