Mint Cooler
Taking his inspiration from the 1651 book The Art of Distillation, Seedlip founder Ben Branson combined his family's 300-year-old English farm heritage, his love of nature and his own copper still to single-handedly revolutionize the way we drink with Seedlip's distilled nonalcoholic spirits. Seedlip Garden 108 is a fresh, floral celebration of the English countryside, with sophisticated top notes of hand-picked sweet peas and hay, plus an aromatic herbal base highlighted by spearmint, rosemary, thyme and hops. Although it’s delicious simply served with tonic water, here we combine it watermelon juice and fresh muddled mint for a refreshing summer sipper that everyone can enjoy. The recipe makes enough mint-stem cordial for several drinks, so invite some friends over, or store the leftover cordial in your fridge.
Ingredients:
For the mint-stem cordial:
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint stems
- 1 cup (8 oz./250 g) superfine sugar
- 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) hot water
4 fresh mint leaves- 2 oz. (60 ml) Seedlip Garden 108
- 1 oz. (60 ml) watermelon juice
- 1/2 oz. (15 ml) fresh lime juice
- Splash of Fever-Tree Soda Water
- Fresh basil leaf for garnish
Directions:
To make the mint-stem cordial, in a bowl, combine the mint stems, sugar and hot water and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean jar. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
To assemble a drink, in a cocktail shaker, lightly muddle the mint leaves. Fill the shaker with ice cubes and add the Seedlip Garden 108, watermelon juice, lime juice and 1/2 oz. (15 ml) of the mint-stem cordial. Shake vigorously until well chilled. Strain into an ice-filled highball glass and top with the soda water. Garnish with the basil leaf and serve. Makes 1 drink.
Recipe courtesy of Seedlip