Garden Cocktails: Lemon Moxie

My nine-year-old asked me what my favorite hobby was the other day. I think I told him cooking or reading, but my new favorite hobby is making cocktails from my garden. Last year, I made Sage Blossom Simple Syrup (will share that soon!) and created a cocktail called, Sweet Sage Blossom. It hooked me.

For my newest creation, the base is a Chive Blossom Vinegar. I have a hardy chive plant in my herb garden and it flowers every year in May. I knew there had to be a use for the blossoms, so in my search, I came across a post from a favorite blogger, Marisa McClellan, of Food in Jars. The recipe is basically prepping and steeping the blossoms in white distilled vinegar and you can read the specifics here.

The steeped vinegar turns this amazing fuchsia color and smells delightfully sharp and onion-y sweet.

I strained it into a bottle I had saved and looked in my kitchen to see what was available for a possible cocktail.

The base would have to be gin, as all the vodka has disappeared (hmm.) But gin is a great match for the flavor of the vinegar.

I had a lemon and some honey and ice. Done!

It was savory with a small hit of sweetness. If you like sweet cocktails, this is not for you. But if you’re willing to try a more savory drink, this really tastes like summer.
See the recipe below.

Lemon Moxie

2 ounces gin
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons Chive Blossom Vinegar

Place honey in the bottom of your glass or jar. Add gin, vinegar and lemon juice. Stir until honey dissolves. Add ice and a sprig of chives, if you have it on hand. Enjoy!
***
If you decide to shake your beverage, the honey will clump together and not dissolve properly. Stirred, not shaken, please.

Cyn Thomas is the illustrator, designer and pattern maker of RiverDog Prints. Her paper goods and gifts are guided by earth, animals, function, food and cocktails. You can also find Cyn canning in her kitchen, walking her dog, being outnumbered by her boys and husband or reading herself to sleep.
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