The Novelist’s Garden | A Botanical & Bright Custom Cocktail for Maddie Deer

The Novelist’s Garden is a custom cocktail I made for Maddie over at MaddieDeer.com. We recently connected on a Facebook group for female bloggers. I announced to the group that one of the services I offer is designing custom cocktails for brands and Maddie was one of the first people to reach out to me. You can check out the post that I made for her here.

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Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

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Maddie Deer is a lifestyle blog that covers topics like vegan and plant-based recipes, vintage finds, DIY & crafting, travel, and fitness. She also blogs about the book writing process–she’s written a novel and is now working on her second one, hence the Novelist’s Garden. My favorite posts of hers at the moment are her 6 Superfoods to Add to Smoothies and her spring book list. I’ve recently gotten back into reading for pleasure so I love seeing what other people are reading.

I really love Maddie’s aesthetics. I had a pretty good idea of which direction I wanted to go in terms of her custom cocktail after just browsing her site, but to gain more insight into her and her brand, I sent her my Custom Cocktail Word Board. Maddie then selected several words from different categories that she felt best described her brand.

Some of the words she chose were earthy, steady, and sophisticated. If you’re familiar with her blog, you’ll see those words really align with her vibe. Let me know in a comment if you think The Novelist’s Garden does, too.

This is the cocktail I imagine Maddie sipping on while she works on her novel, surrounded by her plants in beautiful Portland, Oregon. The Novelist’s Garden is whimsical and bright with a touch of effervescence. Maddie loves plants so I wanted to utilize as many fresh herbs as possible. The basil and lavender lend a warm botanical feel without being overpowering. To impart a bit of Maddie’s refined and yet approachable style, I added a drop of orange blossom water. The bubbly citrus sparkling water keeps things light and lively.

It has been a dream to work with Maddie. She’s genuine and down-to-earth. I’m sure you’ll pick up on those vibes real fast when you browse her blog.

Maddie, thank you for trusting me to create a cocktail tailor-made for you and your brand!

Ingredients for The Novelist’s Garden

• 2 oz vodka (gin is also great in this & creates a more botanical feel)
• 3/4 oz freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 3/4 oz lavender simple syrup- here’s my homemade recipe
• 5-7 fresh basil leaves
• splash of citrus sparkling water (unsweet)
• 1 drop of orange blossom water– optional but it adds a floral perfume touch

How to Make The Novelist’s Garden

1. Add the basil and vodka into a cocktail shaker and muddle the leaves. you don’t need to destroy them–just bruise them well so that they release their oils.
2. Add a generous amount of ice, the lemon juice, the lavender simple syrup, and the DROP of orange blossom water (literally a drop, the stuff is potent. To do this, I dip a swizzle stick into the bottle and then dip it in the cocktail shaker).
3. Shake well, 20-30 seconds.
4. Strain into a coupe glass.
5. Add a splash of lime sparkling water.
6. Garnish with an extra sprig of basil.

If you enjoy using herbs in your cocktails check out these other recipes: