8 nature-inspired cocktails to try this summer

1. Ginger and Apricot Whisky Sour

Fruity flavours meet subtle spiciness for a refreshing and zesty drink, perfect for days spent laughing with friends in the garden which turn into nights watching the sun set.

You’ll need:

• 50ml Bulleit Rye

• 5ml apricot liqueur

• 25ml ginger syrup

• 25ml lemon juice

• 1 egg white

• Three dashes of Angostura Bitters.

To make:

• Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice

• Shake hard until the surface of the shaker is cold to the touch

• Strain into a rocks glass with ice.

2. Lavender Bee’s Knees

A Prohibition-era classic, this gin drink is often thought of as a gin cocktail for the non-gin drinker thanks to the harmonious blend of flavours from the honey and lavender.

You’ll need:

• 60ml gin (we love Tanqueray No. TEN for this)

• 25ml lavender honey syrup (to make, combine roughly 30ml hot water with 60ml of honey. Stir until it’s mixed and then add in a teaspoon of lavender flower. Let the mixture cool and then strain to remove the lavender bits).

• 25ml lemon juice

• A lavender sprig to garnish.

To make:

• Using a jigger, measure out all ingredients and add to a shaker filled with ice

• Shake vigorously for around 10 seconds

• Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a lavender sprig.

3. Pimm's and Lemonade

Fresh, fruity and sweet, Pimm's is the quintessential British summer drink and it's packed with botanicals which are beautifully complemented by a selection of fresh fruits and herbs.

You'll need

• 200ml Pimm's No. 1

• 600ml Lemonade

• Handful of strawberries, cucumber, sliced orange and mint

To make: 

• Fill a jug with ice cubes. Using a jigger, pour 200ml Pimm's No. 1 and 600ml lemonade into the pitcher. Give it a good stir

• Add strawberries, cucumber, orange and mint.

4. A Floral Old Fashioned

Think floral cocktails are all sweet and sugary? This reimagining of a classic Old Fashioned keeps things simple and smooth, with just a subtle touch of botanical notes.

You’ll need:

• 50ml Johnnie Walker Black Label Blended Scotch Whisky

• 10ml elderflower cordial

• Two dashes of orange bitters

• A sprig of elderflower.

To make:

• Add a block of ice to a rocks glass

• With a jigger, pour in your Johnnie Walker and elderflower cordial

• Add your orange bitters and give the mixture a gentle stir

• Once stirred, add a sprig of elderflower for garnish.

5. The Garden and Elderflower Tonic mocktail

Fancy a blast of something botanical and earthy without the alcohol? We’ve got just the pour in this refreshing non-alcoholic cocktail made with Seedlip Garden 108.

You’ll need:

• 50ml Seedlip Garden 108

• 125ml elderflower tonic

• Cucumber for garnish.

To make:

• Fill a highball glass ¾ of the way full with ice

• Using a jigger, pour in your Seedlip Garden and elderflower tonic

• Garnish with a cucumber ribbon.

6. Limonata Spritz

Like a first class trip to the Mediterranean, the Limonata Spritz is bursting with ripe lemon flavours, and garnished with a refreshing sprig of mint.

You’ll need:

• 45ml CÎROC Limonata

• 60ml Lemonade

• 30ml Sparkling wine

• Club soda to top

• Lemon wheel and fresh mint garnish.

To make:

• Using a jigger, measure all ingredients and add them to a wine glass filled with ice

• Gently stir together

• Add a slice of lemon and a sprig of mint to garnish.

7. Don Julio Margarita

While there isn’t the same immediate connection to florals, botanicals and earthy elements, a Don Julio tequila cocktail is the perfect nature-inspired cocktail when you understand the dedication to preservation and conservation that has been integral to the brand’s history.

The man behind the deluxe tequila – and the man who gave it its name – famously didn't think of his agave as a crop, he considered them his children. He would tend to the agave plants daily, harvesting each one individually when it was at optimum maturity and health.

So, let's cheers to him and his children.

You’ll need:

• 50ml Don Julio Blanco

• 25ml fresh lime juice

• 15ml orange liqueur (eg Cointrea)

• Lime to garnish.

To make:

• Using a jigger, measure your Don Julio Blanco, fresh lime juice, and orange liqueur

• Pour into a shaker filled with ice

• Shake well and strain into a margarita glass rimmed with salt

• Garnish with a lime wedge.