The Verdant Garden- a spring-inspired cocktail made with vodka or gin, that is herbally and citrusy with vibrant grassy notes!

This Spring-inspired cocktail, called the Verdant Garden is the perfect balance of flavors- citrusy and herbally with a delicious complexity that even adventurous sippers will appreciate.
Vodka or gin is paired with a splash of Chartreuse, cucumber, tender herbs, celery bitters and lemon, and to me it’s like drinking a Spring Garden. Green, complex and refreshingly tart, The Verdant Garden is my kind of cocktail. I hope you enjoy it!
To make this spring green cocktail, muddle cucumber and tender herbs like basil, mint, celery leaves, or Italian parsley with fennel-infused simple syrup in a shaker, then add Vodka or Gin, Chartreuse, celery bitters, ice, lemon juice and shake well, then simply strain and serve it up.

For garnish, thinly slice Turkish cucumber with a vegetable peeler lengthwise into long curling ribbons and place them in the drink.

Scatter with spring violets for color and enjoy!

The Verdant Garden
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 2
- Category: Cocktail, drink
- Method: shaken
- Cuisine: northwest
Description
The Verdant Garden – a spring-inspired cocktail made with Vodka or Gin, spring herbs, cucumber, Chartreuse, celery bitters and lemon. Herbal, citrusy and slightly grassy. Delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 small Turkish cucumber, sliced into ¼ inch slices (about ½ cup)
- handful tender herbs, torn (tarragon, dill, Italian parsley, celery leaves, or mint or a mix)
- 1 ounce simple syrup (see note)
- 4 ounces Vodka or Gin
- ½ ounce Chartreuse (or an Anise flavored liqueur)
- 1 ½ ounce fresh lemon or lime juice
- splash celery bitters ( optional)
- Garnish- 2 thin slices Turkish cucumber (use a veggie peeler) and violets
Instructions
- Place cucumber and herbs in a shaker and muddle with the simple syrup.
- Add Vodka, Chartreuse, fresh lemon Juice and the celery bitters.
- Fill with ice and shake well.
- Strain through a fine mesh strainer into two chilled glasses. Serve up.
Notes
To make simple syrup, mix 1 part water with 1 part sugar ( or honey) and for a delicious twist, add some fennel frods ( the green leaves and stems from a fennel bulb). Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. The longer you leave the fennel in the more flavor, so I like to make this ahead and let it sit all day or over night, then strain.
Nutrition
- Calories: 278
Keywords: gin cocktail, spring cocktail recipes, garden coctail, vodka cocktails for spring, spring inspired cocktails, herbal cocktails,
Oh my gosh, this is SO good! I decided to make this because I have a bunch of cucumber and parsley that is going to go bad in a few days. This is one of those cases where I’m not crazy about most of the individual ingredients separately, but when mixed together, they somehow become delicious! I didn’t make the simple syrup, I instead dissolved a bit of honey in the lime juice. I used a blend of parsley and celery leaves, because I did not have celery bitters. This tastes like the joy of Persephone herself!
★★★★★
That is awesome- I forgot about this recipe…. glad you found it!