Foraging around the herb garden for tasty things to add to an end-of-the-work-week cocktail might be one of my favorite things to do. Anise Hyssop Agastache foeniculum caught my attention when I saw the bees buzzing up and down the pale lavender flower stalks. As I ran my fingers across the leaves I got a whiff of citrusy licorice mint. That's when I knew.. Anise Infused Simple Syrup with a hint of strawberry gin and tonic would make a very well earned drink.
This plant not only attracts a parade of beneficial pollinators, but herb lovers and crafters claim it as an amazing culinary and medicinal herb for teas, fruit salads, flavored vinegars etc, etc. In the garden, it’s a perennial that grows about 3 feet with a long and promising bloom that's edible too!
Ingredients:
Simple Syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
20 large hyssop leaves
Cocktail:
Gin
Tonic
Strawberries
Infused syrup
Method:
Heat sugar, water and hyssop leaves on the stove top until boil. Turn off heat and let steep for 20-30 minutes.
Blend or muddle strawberries in your gin and tonic and add your Anise Hyssop simple syrup. Top with a bloom, take another walk outside and enjoy the lush greenery of spring as we fade into this summer heat.