Nettle Garden Gin Sour
A herbaceous, vivid-green cocktail where nettle-infused gin meets fresh lemon and honey syrup — with an easy alcohol-free mocktail version for everyone.
Nettle's green, garden-fresh character makes it a natural fit for botanical cocktails. Infusing gin with strong, cooled nettle tea deepens the spirit's herbal side, giving it an earthy, meadow-like complexity and a beautiful pale-green tint.
Keep the infusion gentle — just stir strong, cooled nettle tea into the gin rather than steeping leaves directly for hours. This keeps the flavor bright and herbaceous without turning bitter, the same way a delicate steep keeps the tea balanced.
Fresh lemon juice and a little honey syrup build a classic sour structure around the nettle gin, with the honey echoing nettle's wildflower-meadow personality. Shaken hard over ice, it turns silky and frothy, especially with an optional egg white.
For a non-alcoholic mocktail, simply skip the gin: shake strong, chilled nettle tea with the lemon juice, honey syrup, and a splash of soda water over ice. You get the same vivid-green, herbaceous, refreshing drink — a perfect garden spritz for anyone skipping alcohol.
Ingredients
- 50 ml gin (or 50 ml strong cooled nettle tea for the mocktail)
- 30 ml strong cooled nettle tea (for the gin version)
- 25 ml fresh lemon juice
- 15 ml honey syrup (equal parts honey and warm water)
- 1 egg white (optional, for foam)
- Soda water, to top (for the mocktail)
- Ice cubes
- Cucumber ribbon or mint sprig for garnish
How to make it
- 1For the gin version, stir the strong cooled nettle tea into the gin to create a quick herbal infusion.
- 2Add the nettle gin (or, for the mocktail, the strong cooled nettle tea), lemon juice, honey syrup, and egg white if using to a shaker.
- 3Dry shake hard without ice for 10 seconds to build foam, then add ice and shake again for 15 seconds until well chilled.
- 4Strain into a chilled coupe glass. For the mocktail, strain into an ice-filled glass and top with a splash of soda water.
- 5Garnish with a cucumber ribbon or a fresh mint sprig and serve.
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