Don’t Judge Me Mondays: Tarragon Toddy

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You guys may remember how much I enjoy black licorice.  I know it’s not for everyone but I love it!  Along with the actual candy and liqueurs like Sambuca, there are several vegetables and herbs that have that lovely flavor, one of them is tarragon.  Have you had this herb before?  I’ve seen it used in some creamy French dishes and had some extra on hand from a salmon recipe.  Naturally, I wanted to try it in a cocktail.  I felt like gin would be the perfect spirit to pair with the tarragon because the herby quality would enhance the licorice flavor and the tarragon would in turn amp up the other herbs (like juniper) in the gin.  I knew I wanted the drink to be a little sweet so I also added some honey and voila my new favorite toddy was born!

Let’s get our toddy on!

You’ll start by cutting your stalk of tarragon into about 1-inch pieces and putting those in a glass measuring cup or other container that can hold boiling water.  You should be able to find tarragon with the other fresh herbs in the produce section of your local grocery store.

Now pour the boiling water over the tarragon pieces and give it a stir.  Let that steep for 3-5 minutes, depending on how strong you want the tarragon flavor to be (I let mine go the full 5).

Then pour the tarragon and water through a strainer into your mug.  Add your honey and gin and mix until the honey is dissolved.

The tarragon really comes through and the gin adds another herb flavor without it tasting boozy.  I’m not sure why I didn’t think to pair tarragon with gin sooner, but these two really are a match made in heaven!

Enjoy right away, preferable cozied up under a warm blanket. 🙂

This recipe makes one drink.

What recipes have you used tarragon for?  Do you have other favorite anise or licorice-flavored cocktails? Let me know in the comments!