It’s Cocktail Thyme

On a recent evening in a small, busy bar in Alexandria, VA, attorney Lauren Allen sipped a tall, pink drink with a dark ruffled leaf on the surface. ‘‘It’s a purple basil cocktail, smooth and delicious with no aftertaste,’’ she says. Allen and her pals have previously sampled thyme martinis and sage mojitos.

The man behind the purple basil cocktail is manager and sommelier Todd Thrasher. ‘‘I’m tired of fruity cocktails with mango and passion fruit. I’m looking for new ideas,’’ he says. ‘‘With herbs, not only is the flavour great but the aroma that comes off the glass is amazing.’’

Infusing liquor with herbs is a new way for bartenders to get more creative, says Shawn Kelley, spokeswoman for the Distilled Spirits Council, a trade organisation. ‘‘All these things are going on in the kitchen. This is just translating it to the bar.’’

Cocktail expert Gary Regan, author of The Joy of Mixology, says herbal cocktails are actually a rejuvenation of an ancient trend, dating back to the 1340s. ‘‘During the great plague, they thought herbal-infused spirits could alleviate symptoms, even cure,’’ he says. ‘‘Like Benedictine,’’ he adds, a liqueur infused with fruit peels and herbs, first made by monks in the 16th century.

Regan, who conducts training seminars for bartenders and others in the liquor business, says herbal infusions make a lot of sense, especially from a culinary standpoint. ‘‘Alcohol boosts flavour,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s the reason we make penne with vodka sauce—the vodka boosts the flavour of the sauce. Herbal cocktails are a cuisine of sorts.’’

Bartender Gina Chersevani says her customers are ‘‘surprised to see me muddle fresh herbs.’’ Herbal drinks are popular because ‘‘it’s seemingly healthy even though you are drinking liquor,’’ she says.

For Kera Carpenter, owner of Washington’s Domku Bar & Cafe, herbal cocktails are the logical choice for her Scandinavian/ Slavic restaurant. ‘‘I wanted flavours that would complement my food,’’ she says. The bar’s speciality is Baltic-style, house-made herbal aquavit—vodka flavoured with herbs and spices.

She pairs a pickled herring plate with a cocktail she calls the ogorki, flavoured with dill aquavit and cucumber and spiked with potato vodka. ‘‘It’s the perfect match,’’ says Carpenter.

LATWP