Property News · June 25, 2016

Make mine a mojito: how to grow your own cocktail


From chocolate mint to blackcurrant sage, what to plant for the perfect sundownerIn the last few hours of sunlight on summer evenings, the collection of pots on the garden steps feels like the most precious part of my smallholding in Devon, Otter Farm. It’s where most of the picking goes on for that richly deserved post-work cocktail. To make you sidestep a gin and tonic or a cold beer, a cocktail has to be special, and it is this small collection of herbs that makes all the difference.A cocktail, like a salad dressing, needs a balance of fruitiness, aromatics, sweetness, sharpness, sourness (sometimes) and (often) something to lengthen and dilute the intensity. A few well-chosen herbs can add all these, and you don’t need much space in which to grow them. A windowsill, short stretch of balcony or a few steps like mine will provide room enough for half a dozen. You can even squeeze a few herbs into a single large pot, the bigger, the better (though grow mint on its own as it likes to expand rapidly). Most of the perennial herbs I use for cocktails prefer good drainage – potting compost blended with grit is ideal. Water often, give them a liquid feed once a month and place in the sunniest spot you have. With care, they’ll last for years. Continue reading…

Source : theguardian.com
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