There’s no better way to celebrate the festive season than with a delicious cocktail made with herbs from the garden and hedgerow. 

Today I’m really excited to be teaming up with Benromach whisky to bring you two delicious garden cocktails that are perfect for celebrating the festive season with. I was really excited when Benromach reached out to work with me as they have the world’s first fully certified organic, single malt Scotch whisky. It is also fully certified with the soil association so it gets a big green-fingered thumbs up from me and would make a superb gift to any keen gardener or forager when teamed with the garden syrups that I use in the following cocktails. Benromach Organic whisky is made from unpeated barley sourced from a local organic farmer and matured in environmentally friendly casks. Benromach Organic is part of the Contrasts Range, which are small batch vintage expressions that are different in style to the Core Range.

 

The two cocktails I’m sharing are both so delicious but have a very different taste profile.

 The Rosemary Old Fashioned is deep, layered and rich and the kind of cocktail that I would drink sitting beside my log fire with a book or seed catalogue. 

The Foragers Rosehip Smash is lighter, sweeter and has more of a party spirit. The combination of citrus and rosehips with the complex notes of the whisky make it a very refreshing and uplifting cocktail that I’m definitely going to make on Christmas eve night.

Rosemary Old Fashioned

15ml (1/2 oz) rosemary syrup 

2 dash bitters

60ml (2oz) Benromach organic whisky

Ice

Rosemary sprig to garnish

Combine the rosemary syrup along with the bitters in your glass. Add the Benromach organic whisky and stir. Add the ice, stir again and garnish.

Foragers Rosehip Smash

3 organic orange wedges

30ml (1oz) rosehip syrup

4-6 mint leaves

60ml (2oz) Benromach organic whisky

Ice 

Orange peel or rosehip sprig to garnish

Muddle the orange wedges and rosehip syrup together in a cocktail shaker. Add the mint and bruise with the muddler. Add the Benromach Organic whisky and some ice and shake well. Strain into an ice filled glass. Garnish.

Remember to enjoy Benromach whisky responsibly. Check out their range over at www.benromach.com Huge thank you to Benromach for sponsoring this post