Herb Care and Botanical Cocktail Making

This post is in partnership with Seedlip. All opinions are our own.

Here at The Sill we believe to be human is to experience biophilia, our innate desire to connect with nature. It’s in our DNA. It should be no surprise then that we enjoy all things botanical — even our beverages. It’s why we’re such fans of Seedlip non-alcoholic spirits, carefully crafted from selected botanicals and spices — they’re our go-to beverages for celebrating and elevating any occasion. Afterall, there’s more than one way to cultivate a life well lived through plants. 

We’ve teamed up with Seedlip mixologists to learn how to make botanically-based craft cocktails with fresh herbs you can grow right at home. Read on for recipes and herb care tips!

Tip 1: Bright Light

A kitchen herb garden is every budding cook’s dream — imagine being able to simply reach over and snip fresh herbs as needed! But if there’s not enough light in your kitchen, no worries. An herb garden works just as well in any room of your home, as long as there’s bright light.

Herbs need as much natural sunlight as possible! At least 4 to 5 full hours of sun a day at the minimum. Windows with south or southwest exposure are ideal, but those facing the east or west will work as well. And if you live in an urban environment, make sure there’s nothing right outside your window blocking the light.

If your space gets medium to low light, you can still grow herbs at home with some help. You’ll want to purchase grow lights and position them over your herbs for at least 6 hours a day. And remember to rotate your herbs’ containers regularly for even light exposure and growth. Our Smart Growhouse is the perfect set up for herbs that includes built in full-spectrum grow lights so you can grow your herbs anywhere in the home. 

Another option? Try growing your herbs with a passive hydroponic system with our Herb Garden Jars which come with everything you need to get growing fresh herbs.

Tip 2: Stable Temperatures

Like most houseplants and most people, indoor herbs like an environment that’s at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep this in mind, especially if your herbs are right by a window where they might catch a cold draft. Don’t let herbs touch cold glass, either; they’ll start to brown. Additionally, keep your herbs away from air conditioning or heating units, which can cause dry air.

Tip 3: Watering and Humidity

How often you water depends on the conditions in your home, light like and temperature. you may see yourself watering your herbs 2 to 3 times a week. The best move is to check the soil moisture prior to watering — once the soil has dried out about 2 to 3 inches below the soil line, it’ll be safe to give your herbs a thorough drink. You’ll want to prevent your herbs from drying out completely as this could lead to browning and even defoliation.

Your indoor herb garden will also appreciate a weekly shower with lukewarm or room temperature water to remove any dust and debris on the foliage. If your garden container is small enough to move, place it in your kitchen sink, water your herbs gently with lukewarm water, and let them drip dry.

Herbs will also benefit from being in an environment that provides ample air circulation and higher humidity. You can fine mist your herbs a few times a week or set them on a wet pebble tray. However, if humidity is very low in the home it’ll be best to incorporate a humidifier for consistent localized humidity.

Tip 4: Pruning

The most important thing to remember to do is to prune your herbs about once every 1 to 2 weeks even when you’re not harvesting. This will help encourage growth and strength.

To harvest your herbs, you’ll want to make a cut at an internode (i.e. the space between two leaves). Overtime and with good care and light, two lateral buds will emerge from where you made that cut, which will help to facilitate branching. This will not only help make your herbs more compact but will also increase your yield down the road.

Cocktail Recipe Cards

94 Mule

Ingredients: 1.5 0z Seedlip Spice 94, .5 oz Lime Juice, Ginger Beer, and fresh mint.

1. Add 5 or 6 mint leaves to shaker.
2. Incorporate Seedlip Spice 94, Lime Juice, Ice.
3. Shake & Strain.
4. Pour over ice & Ginger Beer.
5. Top with Ginger Beer.
6. Garnish with Mint and Lime Wheel.

When garnishing with mint, it’s important to rid the stems of lower leaves and not to muddle too hard, so they become bitter! An excellent way to infuse extra flavor is to break the spring off to release chlorophyll from the bottom into your cocktail.

After choosing a beautiful garnish, lightly smack the mint to release essential oils! A good garnish should add to the drink.

Seedlip Spice 94 provides an aromatic experience with notes of allspice and cardamom. It’s a beautiful way to provide warm, earthy richness to a cocktail, especially when paired with homegrown ingredients.

Pineapple Margarita

Ingredients: 2 0z Seedlip Garden 108, 1 oz Pineapple juice, .5 oz Agave, .5 oz Lime juice, and fresh cilantro.

1. Lightly muddle all ingredients in a shaker.
2. Add ice and shake and strain over ice.
3. Garnish with cilantro.

With a delicate herb like cilantro, it’s important not to muddle too hard so it turns bitter! A couple of easy taps will release all that scent!
Seedlip Garden 108 features unique vegetal ingredients that showcase fresh flavors! With distilled ingredients like rosemary and thyme, it’s guaranteed to benefit from brightness. 

Rosemary Grove

Ingredients: 2 oz Seedlip Grove 42, .5 oz Rosemary Honey syrup, and .5 oz lemon juice.

1. To make the Rosemary Honey Syrup, mix 2 parts honey with one part warm water. Finely chop Rosemary and leave it in the syrup overnight.
2. Add all ingredients to shaker.
3. Shake & Strain.

Finely chopping the rosemary expresses more flavor! Another way to release a scent is to light or smoke it!

Seedlip Grove 42 is made with fresh citrus, lemongrass, and ginger to add zest to a well balanced cocktail! When paired with rosemary, those citrus notes really shine.

Now that you have the tips to get started, it’s time to get started! Seedlip is offering all readers of The Sill 20% off their products — just enter the promo code SILL20 at seedlipdrinks.com. (valid until 4/9/23)