In partnership with Koval, we're excited to share three holiday cocktail recipes you can make right at home with your cocktail garden. Hydroponics — a method of growing plants without soil, using mineral nutrient solutions in water — makes it easy to keep fresh herbs like rosemary on hand year-round, so you're always just steps away from a craft-quality garnish.
How Do You Make a Ginger Rickey Cocktail?
Makes: 1 cocktail
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz KOVAL Ginger Liqueur
- 0.75 oz lime juice
- 1 sprig of stripped rosemary (rosemary is an evergreen herb prized in cocktails for its piney, aromatic oils that complement citrus and ginger beautifully)
- About 3 oz sparkling water
Directions
- Step One: Add the ginger liqueur, lime juice, and rosemary to a shaker tin. Add ice, and shake for 10 seconds.
- Step Two: Strain into a collins glass with ice.
- Step Three: Top with sparkling water, and garnish with a sprig of rosemary and a lime wheel. Growing your own rosemary in a Rise Garden means you'll always have fresh garnishes ready — indoor rosemary typically reaches a harvestable size in as little as 21–28 days from a healthy seedling start, and hydroponically grown herbs can contain up to 50% more aromatic oils and vitamins than their store-bought counterparts.
Recipe created in partnership with Koval by Shiloh Andrus. According to the Cornell University Controlled Environment Agriculture program, growing herbs hydroponically indoors allows for consistent, year-round harvests regardless of season — making your seed pod collection the ideal way to keep cocktail-ready rosemary, mint, and lemon balm growing at all times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Ginger Rickey cocktail?
A Rickey is a classic highball cocktail traditionally made with a spirit, fresh lime juice, and carbonated water — light, refreshing, and not overly sweet. The Ginger Rickey adds fresh ginger for a spicy, warming kick that makes it especially appealing as a seasonal or holiday cocktail. Using fresh herbs like mint from your Rise Garden as a garnish elevates the presentation and aroma significantly.
Can I grow ginger in a Rise Garden?
Ginger is a root crop that requires more depth and space than a standard Rise Garden pod accommodates, so it is best grown in a separate container or pot alongside your Rise Garden setup. However, you can grow complementary cocktail ingredients like mint, lemon balm, and lime basil in Rise Garden to incorporate alongside store-bought fresh ginger. The combination of homegrown garnishes and fresh ginger makes for a genuinely craft-quality cocktail.
How do I make a fresh ginger syrup for cocktails?
Combine equal parts sugar and water in a small saucepan, add a generous amount of thinly sliced fresh ginger, and bring to a simmer until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is fragrant — about 10 minutes. Let it cool, strain out the ginger, and store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Fresh ginger syrup adds far more vibrant, complex heat to cocktails than ginger powder or commercial ginger beer alone.
What makes the Rise x Koval Ginger Rickey a good holiday cocktail?
The Ginger Rickey's bright, spicy-citrus profile cuts through the richness of holiday food and works equally well as an alcoholic cocktail or a mocktail base with sparkling water. The warming ginger note gives it a festive, seasonal character without being as heavy or sweet as traditional holiday drinks like eggnog. Garnishing with a fresh mint sprig from your Rise Garden adds a pop of green color that is perfectly on theme for holiday entertaining.
