The garden bloggers featured in the March 2012 issue of Martha Stewart Living enjoy entertaining outdoors. Here are the recipes for their favorite cocktails to share with friends.

Lee Clippard and John Stott
the-grackle.blogspot.com

Half Penny French “75” (Half Penny is our little road.)

serves 1
1/2 ounce lemon verbena simple syrup (see below)
1/2 ounce gin
3 ounce chilled Champagne, dry sparkling white wine (Gruet works well), or Prosecco
(We used small 4-ounce glasses. If using a larger Champagne glass scale up the proportions accordingly).

Pour ingredients in a glass. Give it a brief stir and garnish with a sprig of lemon verbena from the garden. Drink and enjoy in moderation with friends outside on a sunny day.

Lemon Verbena Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 or 3 sprigs of fresh lemon verbena

Dissolve sugar in water in a saucepan. Add lemon verbena, and bring to low boil. Remove from heat. Let cool then strain.

Marie Viljoen
66squarefeet.blogspot.com

Serviceberry Prosecco Cocktail

serves 1
Serviceberry syrup is made by cooking the berries with a third their weight in sugar. After bringing the berries and sugar to a foaming boil, simmer them gently for about five minutes and then strain the juice, saving the berries for pie or compote and bottling the scarlet syrup, which I refrigerate. If you don’t have access to serviceberry bushes (Amelanchier canadensis), use fresh cherries with their pits as above.

2 tablespoons serviceberry syrup per glass
Chilled Prosecco
Add serviceberry syrup to a Champagne coupe or flute. Pour chilled Prosecco on top.

Ivette Soler
thegerminatrix.com

Tomato Water Martini (aka Pomodoro Martini)

serves 2
2 1/2 shots vodka (Tito’s is my favorite!)
1/3 shot olive juice
2 shots tomato water (see below)
A lot of ice

Chill martini classes with ice water, and let them stand while you mix the drinks. Combine the ingredients in a shaker.

Discard the ice water used to chill the martini glasses. Add 2 fresh basil leaves, lightly bruised. Use half of the clove of garlic to rim the glass with.

Shake mixture vigorously (I like little shattered ice crystals floating on top), and pour into chilled glasses.

Garnish with heirloom cherry tomatoes and a small basil leaf.

You can make a larger batch by pouring 3 or 4 shakers into a pitcher, but the BEST martinis are always served à la minute.

Tomato Water
4 large extra-ripe homegrown or farmers' market tomatoes
1/2 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 grinds of fresh pepper

Toss the ingredients into a blender, and pulse until juicy, but still chunky. Line a strainer, sieve, or china cap with cheesecloth, and place over a bowl. Pour in the mixture, and let it drain for an hour. Then press the pulp to get out the last bit of yumminess. (I use the leftover tomato pulp in scrambled eggs!)

Photographs by Juliana Sohn.