Mint and Snap Peas Are a Perfect Match in This Spring Cocktail

The Snap Pea-Mint Tequila Gimlet is a tart, earthy, and herbaceous tequila drink. The cocktail is flavored with syrup made from fresh snap peas and both dried and fresh mint leaves.

The drink was developed by Lauren Hayes, director of operations of Adventure Dinner, an event and catering company based out of Colchester, Vermont. Hayes calls the drink the It’s A Snap at her events. The cocktail highlights one of the first ingredients to pop up during springtime, snap peas, which are classically paired with mint. 

The snap pea–mint syrup serves as the flavor base for this cocktail. By blanching the snap peas quickly in boiling water, then cooling them in an ice bath, the bright green color is preserved and the peas take on a slightly sweet, less raw flavor.

The blanched beans get blended with fresh mint as well as a syrup made with sugar, water, and dried mint leaves. The solids are strained out, and the resulting syrup is mixed with tequila, lime, orange bitters, and orange blossom water to make the cocktail. 

Why the Snap-Pea Mint Tequila Gimlet Works

This complex cocktail blends tart, sweet, and vegetal flavors — and while tequila’s underlying sweetness adds some richness to the drink, gin or vodka would also work well. Since there are so many competing flavors in this cocktail, both fresh and dried mint are used to amplify the drink’s cooling mint taste. The dried mint brings a subtle astringency, while the fresh mint adds a more floral note. 

This same technique is used with the orange notes in the drink as well: Orange bitters add some savory citrus notes, while the orange blossom water leans more perfume-y. The combination yields a fresh, fragrant touch of orange.

While this drink can easily be scaled up to serve a crowd, any leftover syrup can be used in a simple soda by combining it with seltzer, or add white vinegar to create a shrub.