Flowers are most often used as a garnish or frozen in ice cubes for decoration, but some can be added to simple syrup or vodka infusions to add flavor or color. The blossoms of the plants in the herbs section (p. 320) are also edible and safe to use. Just don’t add any flower to a cocktail unless you’re sure it’s edible. hydrangea, for instance, contains a little cyanide, which makes it a less-than-ideal drink ingredient.
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Borage Borago officinalis |
Annual. Deep blue flowers are gorgeous in drinks or frozen into ice cubes. Leaves taste vaguely like cucumbers. Traditional Pimm’s Cup garnish. |
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Calendula Calendula officinalis |
Annual. Bright yellow and orange petals can be infused for their color. Alpha is a reliable orange variety; Sunshine Flashback is deep yellow; Neon is orange-red. |
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Elderflower Sambucus nigra |
Perennial. Grown for flowers or fruit; use flowers in infusions and syrups. Try the dramatic Black Lace or Sutherland Gold, with chartreuse foliage. Some North American species produce cyanide, so get yours from a fruit nursery. (See p. 206.) |
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Honeysuckle Lonicera x heckrottii |
Perennial. Gold Flame is tough, vigorous, and loaded with fragrant flowers. |
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Jasmine Jasminum officinale |
Perennial. Hardy to about 0 degrees Fahrenheit. French jasmine, sometimes called J. grandiflorum, requires a warmer climate but can be grown indoors. (See p. 218.) |
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Lavender Lavandula angustifolia |
Perennial. English lavenders like Hidcote and Munstead are best for culinary uses, or try the French Grosso and Fred Boutin (L. x intermedia). (See p. 330.) |
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Marigold Tagetes erecta |
Annual. Petals are bright orange, red, or yellow and have a sharp, spicy flavor. There are many new varieties, but African Marigold is the classic vigorous orange version. |
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Tropaeolum majus |
Annual. Dwarf Cherry is a mounding variety, compact enough for a container. Other varieties can turn into sprawling vines. All produce peppery flowers in orange, red, yellow, pink, and white. |
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Rose Rosa spp. |
Perennial. Choose a highly fragrant hybrid tea like Mister Lincoln for rose petal infusions, or a rugosa variety if you want to cultivate the rose hips. (See p. 221.) |
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Sichuan button Acmella oleracea |
Annual. The yellow flower buds contain a compound called spilanthol that produces a Pop Rocks–like reaction when chewed. A bit of a gimmick, but a fun cocktail garnish nonetheless. |
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Viola Viola tricolor |
Annual. Johnny-jump-ups, and closely related pansies, are edible but not particularly flavorful. Useful as a garnish. |
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Violet Viola odorata |
Perennial. Old-fashioned sweet violets are highly fragrant and very short-lived. Not to be confused with African violets. (See p. 225.) |
LAVENDER
Lavandula angustifolia (syn. L. × intermedia)
lamiaceae (mint family)
Lavender doesn’t often turn up behind the bar for the same reason it isn’t used often in cooking: the sharp, floral fragrance seems just right in a perfume but all wrong as part of a meal. However, any gardener who loves growing lavender will eventually want to try it in a drink. And it is used in gin, infused vodka, and liqueurs.
English lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, is somewhat sweeter and better suited for flavoring—lavender scones and cookies are baked with this variety. Hidcote and Munstead are two popular varieties; both will grow up to two feet tall and form a solid hedge.
The only other lavender to consider for a cocktail would be L. × intermedia, a hybrid grown in France for perfume and soap. Try Grosso, Fred Boutin, or Abrialii. The flavor may be a bit sharper than English lavender, but the plants do a better job of tolerating hot, muggy summers. Many other species of lavender contain mildly toxic compounds and should not be eaten.
Situate lavender in full sun, give it well-drained soil, and top-dress with pea gravel rather than mulch. It wants no fertilizer and very little supplemental water. Lavender must be sheared back in late fall to keep blooming; cut back most of the foliage, but never cut down to bare wood. Lavender likes a Mediterranean climate but can be coaxed along in all but the coldest areas; it will tolerate winter temperatures to –10 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lavender’s dry, astringent perfume is perfect with a botanical spirit like gin, or it can be used to infuse a simple syrup.
LAVENDER-ELDERFLOWER CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL
1 ounce lavender simple syrup (see p. 324)
1 ounce St-Germain
Champagne or other sparkling wine
1 sprig fresh lavender
Pour the simple syrup and St-Germain in a Champagne flute and top with Champagne. Garnish with a sprig of fresh lavender.
LAVENDER MARTINI
4 sprigs fresh lavender
1½ ounces gin (try Dry Fly from Washington State, which contains lavender)
½ ounce Lillet blanc (see note)
Lemon peel
In a cocktail shaker, muddle 3 springs of the lavender with the gin. Add the Lillet, shake with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass. To get all the crushed lavender buds out of the drink, double-strain it by placing a fine mesh strainer over the glass before pouring. Garnish with the lemon peel and the remaining lavender sprig.
Note: Lillet will stay fresh in the refrigerator for at least a few weeks. If you don’t have any, this drink also works with the more traditional dry vermouth.