Sparkling Borage Cocktail

By
Colleen Graham
Photo of Colleen Graham
Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
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Updated on 05/13/21
Borage Cocktail
hazel proudlove / Getty Images
Prep: 3 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Syrup/Cubes: 8 hrs
Total: 8 hrs 3 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 1 cocktail
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
194 Calories
0g Fat
19g Carbs
0g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 194
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 21mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 19g 7%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 17g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 2mg 8%
Calcium 11mg 1%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 21mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

A cocktail wonder straight out of your own garden, the sparkling borage cocktail is a delight to sip throughout the summer months. The feature of this gin recipe is the lovely borage herb and its edible flowers, which are used to create a syrup and frozen into elegant ice cubes.

Borage is an annual herb that self-seeds, making it a relatively care-free plant to grow. For gardeners, it's a favorite companion to vegetables as it attracts pollinators and it's fabulous in wildflower gardens. Its stunning star-shaped blue flowers are the real attraction. Both the flowers and young leaves taste like cucumber.

In the sparkling borage cocktail, a homemade borage syrup is paired with other light herbal flavors, including elderflower and juniper. For the gin, upgrade to one of the new craft gins that have a softer profile like Leopold's American Small Batch Gin or The Botanist. These produce a lovely and delicate cocktail that cannot be created with a traditional London dry gin.

Ingredients

For Borage Simple Syrup:

  • 1 cup water

  • 1 cup granulated sugar

  • 1/2 cup young borage leaves and flowers, rinsed

For Borage Flower Ice Cubes:

  • 10 to 12 borage flowers

  • 1 cup distilled water, or amount needed for ice tray

For the Cocktail:

Steps to Make It

Make the Borage Simple Syrup

Borage is a fabulous cocktail ingredient because of its delicate cucumber-like flavor. It is even the traditional garnish for a Pimm's Cup and has seen a resurgence in recent years. One of the easiest ways to bring it into drinks is through a homemade simple syrup.

For the syrup, choose young leaves and flowers. As the plant ages, the leaves become prickly. Not only are they not much fun to handle, but they also begin to lose the desired flavor. The syrup itself is as easy as making any other simple syrup, you're simply adding the herb for flavor.

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Over medium heat, stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and bring to a slow boil. 

  3. Add 1/2 cup borage leaves and flowers and stir.

  4. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes.

  5. Remove from the heat and allow to steep for at least one hour.

  6. Strain the borage from the syrup using a fine-mesh strainer. Bottle and refrigerate. It will be good for 2 weeks or more.

Make the Borage Flower Ice Cubes

Save your best borage flowers for the ice cubes. The flowers begin pink and develop a stunning blue-purple color as they mature. They look fabulous in this otherwise clear cocktail.

Making the floral ice is a two-step process because you'll give the flower a frozen foundation to rest on before filling the cube. You will just need to leave yourself enough time—a little over one day—to let them freeze completely.

This can be done with other edible flowers like pansies as well. Always be sure that your flowers are grown without chemical pesticides and fertilizers and actually safe to be eaten. Growing your own ensures that, though organic edible flowers may be found at some farmers markets and other outlets.

  1. Fill ice cube trays halfway with distilled water and freeze.

  2. Place a single borage flower on each cube.

  3. Fill cubes the rest of the way with water and freeze.

Make the Sparkling Borage Cocktail

  1. In a cocktail shaker, pour the gin, elderflower liqueur, borage syrup, and lime juice. Fill with ice.

  2. Shake well.

  3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

  4. Add borage flower ice cubes and top with club soda. Serve and enjoy.

Recipe Variations

  • Rather than the club soda, you can use a similar lightly flavored soda or sparkling water. It's fantastic with Dry Sparkling's Lavender Soda; try other floral and herbal sodas as well. You could even add a splash of sparkling rosé wine.
  • Use the borage syrup in similar lightly flavored cocktails and drinks. It adds a refreshing touch to the gin rickey and brings new life to a tall glass of lemonade.

How Strong Is the Sparkling Borage Cocktail?

As a martini-like drink, the sparkling borage cocktail is a relatively delicate one when it comes to the alcohol content. On the high side, it will be around 20 percent alcohol by volume (40 proof), though this will vary a bit. It's equivalent to similar drinks like the key lime pie martini.