Birthday Drinks!

A good friend just moved to a new house and celebrated a birthday. I wanted to come up with something that would be both a fun birthday present and housewarming gift. 

I was thinking back to gifts I have appreciated over the years and remembered that one of the best housewarming gifts I have received was a potted planter filled with herbs. It was wonderfully thoughtful and beautiful AND I actually used it! (Thanks Lindsay! :)).

I was so excited to come up with the idea of a planter with herbs that can be used for cocktails. I decided on thyme, mint, basil, and sage. Along with the planter I included recipe cards with a cocktail recipe using each of the herbs included in the planter.

Clockwise from bottom left: English Thyme, Sage, Spearamint, basil

Multi-Colored Recipe Cards

All wrapped up...

...and for those of you that like a good cocktail, here are the recipes:

Classic Mojito
12 mint leaves

1 TBSP sugar or simple syrup
Juice from 1 small lime
Soda water
White Rum

Place mint leaves in the bottom of a glass or shaker with sugar and lime juice. Muddle into a pulp. Add vodka and crushed ice to fill shaker. Shake vigorously and pour into a glass. Add soda water and garnish with a slice of lime.

Cucumber Sage Fizz
3 sage leaves
3 cucumber slices
Gin
Prosecco

Place sage leaves in the bottom of a cocktail shaker and fill ¼ with crushed ice. Muddle sage and ice. Fill the shaker with ice adding 1-2 shots of gin and 1 slice of cucumber. Shake vigorously and pour into a glass. Float prosecco on the top of the drink and garnish with a slice of cucumber.

Strawberry Basil Cocktail
2 strawberries cut in small pieces
4 basil leaves
Orange juice
Soda water
Vodka

Place strawberry pieces and basil leaves in a shaker and muddle into a paste. Fill shaker with crushed ice and add 1 shot orange juice and 1-2 shots of vodka. Shake vigorously and pour into a glass. Add soda water and garnish with a strawberry.

Thyme Lemonade
2 fresh sprigs of lemon thyme
4 slices of lemon
3 TBSP sugar or simple syrup
Soda water
Vodka

Add thyme leaves, lemon slices, and sugar to the shaker and muddle. Add ice and 1-2 shots of vodka. Shake vigorously and pour into a glass. Add soda water and garnish with a sprig of thyme and lemon slice.