Enjoy a little garnish with your favourite cocktails? Now you can grow your own thanks to Seedlip’s limited-edition Cocktail Garden Kit.

Since lockdowns began last year, Kiwis everywhere have been getting stuck into home projects to fill the time. Some of us became bakers, others became artists, and regrettably – those with an inclination for dancing found themselves on Tik Tok. And then there were those of us who turned our attention to the garden. Like a flourishing plant, the national obsession with gardening grew and grew under lockdown, to the point where seed suppliers had to press pause on trading to keep up with demand.

In keeping with this uptick of green-fingered Kiwis, Seedlip has partnered with local guided gardening brand Green Shoots to offer a new growing project for spring.

The very special limited edition Seedlip Cocktail Garden Kit enables Seedlip fans to grow, cultivate, and harvest their own herbs and edible flowers to garnish their cocktail creations. Perfect for smaller gardens or apartment living, the guided gardening kit contains nine different herbs and edible flower seedlings.

The kits include two of the following in mini peat pots:

• Borage (also known as starflower)
• Coriander
• Cosmos (colourful daisy-like flowers) or similar
• Fennel
• Lovage
• Rocket
• Sage
• Thai basil
• and viola (sweet violet).

Each kit also contains plant markers, fertiliser, how-to gardening instructions, and one 700ml bottle of Seedlip.

In around three weeks after planting their seedlings, Seedlip fans will be able to toast to their new harvest with nine cocktail recipes courtesy of the free e-book included with every kit (see a few of our favourite recipes below). Each contains a suggestion for garnishing your favourite Seedlip cocktails using one of the edible herbs and flowers.

Green Shoots sprouted from the mind of Katie Jacobs who inherited her passion for gardening from her mother and grandmother. Jacobs describes the kits as “almost a complete garden in a box.” And during a time when many novice gardeners were keen to get stuck in, her guided gardening provided them with Garden Seedling Kits and other select gardening products to offer people hassle-free gardening solutions, regardless of the space and skills they have.

For Seedlip, which views itself as a nature company, the partnership with Green Shoots was a hand-in-glove fit. Rebecca Caughey, the local distributor of Seedlip in New Zealand, says she immediately fell in love with the Green Shoots Guided Gardening Kits when she found them online.

“We love Katie’s vision and that she can help so many novice, time-poor gardeners and mums teaching young kids by making this as easy as possible,” she says.

“And there’s just something about growing and harvesting your own food and produce, it just tastes that little bit better. So, we hope this limited-edition kit inspires novice gardeners to get outside and give it a go”.

The kits are available for Auckland delivery only and can be ordered via www.greenshoots.nz. They retail at $99.99 plus $10 delivery for 1 x bottle of Seedlip, 18 seedlings, 18 plant markers, fertiliser and the guided gardening instructions and recipes. For more information visit cookandnelson.com.

Facebook: @cookandnelsonnz 

Instagram: @cookandnelson

Check out some of our favourite recipes from the e-book included in the kits.

Coriander Slinger

You will want to make this in a large batch it is so delicious! The green coriander dances beautifully in your mouth with the lime, chilli & citrus notes of Seedlip Grove 42.

INGREDIENTS
60ml Seedlip Grove 42
30ml Lime Juice
20ml Agave Syrup
Handful of Coriander Leaves
2 Slices of Red Chilli (If you desire)
Coriander leaf to garnish
One red chilli to garnish

METHOD
Add all ingredients including coriander and chilli into a cocktail shaker.

Fill shaker with ice, seal and shake vigorously.

Double strain into a chilled glass to collect all small pieces of herbs and chili. Garnish with a coriander leaf and red chilli.

LOW ABV:
Substitute 60ml Seedlip Grove 42 for 40ml Seedlip Grove 42 & 20ml Tequila Blanco.

Garden Sour

This is one of the most popular Seedlip Garden 108 cocktails globally. The Garden Sour is a complex herbal based non-alcoholic cocktail with hints of Apple, Lemon and Rosemary.

INGREDIENTS
50ml Seedlip Garden 108
35ml Cloudy Apple Juice
10ml Lemon Juice
20ml Sugar Syrup
30ml Egg White or Aquafaba
5ml Apple Cider Vinegar
Sprig of Rosemary
Sprig of Thyme
Viola Flowers.

METHOD
Measure and pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker.

Add in the rosemary and thyme. Add ice, seal and shake.

Double strain into coupe glass. Garnish with a Viola flower or two!

LOW ABV:
Substitute 50ml Seedlip Garden for 30ml Seedlip Garden & 20ml Gin.