Golden Pothos Cocktail| A tantalizing vodka or gin cocktail with turmeric & cardamom

The Golden Pothos cocktail is a Girl & Tonic original. It’s a tantalizing (if I may say so myself) vodka cocktail with turmeric and cardamom. It’s a whole slew of adjectives: bright, effervescent, bitter, earthy. My husband, who is not a big cocktail fan, actually liked it. He liked it. He actually said “Hmm, pretty good.” If that doesn’t compel you to try making one, I don’t know what will.

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If you’re a fellow plant lover, you’ll recognize the name of this cocktail and know why I picked it, based on the color of the drink. Actually, I don’t know if I can call myself a plant lover. I think I’m verging on plant hoarder. I have 17 houseplants, a propagation station, a dozen outdoor plants, and a [humble] vegetable garden. Here’s a selection of some of my favorites (I actually say “This one’s my favorite” about all of them, but don’t tell them that):

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Now, don’t misunderstand me. I may be a plant lover but I am NOT a plant expert. Many a plant has died under my care, but as the years pass I’m getting better at figuring out what each one needs. That, and I have a pretty awesome plant bestie that helps me with troubleshooting from time to time.

We frequently swap plants, give each other cuttings, go plant shopping together, and send each other detailed videos of our plants’ growth. For real. I’ve given her cactus cuttings, only to have to get a cutting from that cutting because my original died a sad death in an unexpected freeze. Plants are the gifts that keep giving.

Actually, that plant bestie is also my cocktail bestie. She and I began exploring craft cocktails together in Reno years ago. We had our own special happy hour several days a week in her beautiful midcentury home. Yep, those were the days. Now we live in different cities but we still share pictures of our cocktails (and plants) frequently. Moral of the story: get you a plant/cocktail bestie.

If you’re looking to get into houseplants or you’re wanting to liven up your living space with some green, check out golden pothos (sometimes called Devil’s Ivy). It’s pretty hard to kill, does well in low and bright light, and is easy to propagate. Or just make yourself a Golden Pothos cocktail instead.

The first several times I made this cocktail, I made it with vodka. And it was great. Then one day I decided to use gin and wow. WOW. I also made it with a citrus tonic and that combination made all the flavors in this cocktail come. to. life. If you can find citrus tonic, please please please try it in this recipe. And try this recipe with both vodka and gin and then let me know which one YOU prefer in a comment or over on my IG.

The Ingredients for a Golden Pothos Cocktail

• 1 1/2 oz vodka or gin
• 1/2 oz orange liqueur/triple sec
• 3/4 oz freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 oz cardamom simple syrup
• pinch of turmeric
• 2 drops of cardamom bitters
• tonic water

How to Make a Golden Pothos Cocktail

Combine all ingredients except the tonic water into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Pour into a lowball glass with ice and top off with tonic water. Alternatively, you could pour it into a coupe glass and add just a splash of tonic. It’s great both ways.