A floral note can enhance your cocktail experience with a fresh, vibrant flavor and adds an extra pop of color when used as a garnish. Flowers are the perfect finishing touch for a drink to dazzle bar patrons and wedding guests alike.
Learn how you can embrace your inner flower child with your next cocktail.
How to Use Florals in Your Drinks
Adding a floral note to your cocktails or mocktails adds an extra depth of flavor and a touch of glamor to the drink. Luckily, there are endless ways for creative mixologists to make use of flowers in their beverages.
As a Syrup
A classic way to include floral notes in your beverages is with simple syrup. A homemade simple syrup with delicate flavors like lavender or elderflower is the perfect match for gin. Or, if you’re feeling more tropical, try pairing rum with hibiscus or jasmine.
As a Garnish
Adding a floral note as a garnish to a drink instantly adds a touch of glamour. A delicate garnish elevates the beverage and enhances its presentation. You might try polishing off a classic and classy bourbon cocktail with a rose or completing an elegant gimlet with a pansy garnish.
Embedded in Ice
Using ice with embedded floral elements elevates the entire experience. Suddenly the flowers are more than just a charming garnish and flavorful addition; they become the centerpiece of the drink and part of the experience.
Flowers are embedded in ice as part of the freezing process. Ice is frozen in layers with the flowers suspended in the middle so that it dazzles from the center of a cube with perfect clarity.
Floral ice cubes are perfect when added to any drink where you would use a similar floral garnish.
However you choose to use floral elements in your cocktails, be sure to use only edible flowers. Decorative flowers have often been treated with pesticides that are unsafe for consumption.
When to Break Out The Flowers
Enhancing your cocktails and mocktails with flowers is perfect anytime you want to add elegance to an event. If you’re looking for an excuse to get floral, here are a few occasions ideally suited to a floral note.
At a Wedding
Weddings are the perfect venue for a floral cocktail. For a stunning wedding detail your guests will love, you can mirror the flowers chosen for the bouquet as garnishes embedded in the ice in your guest’s drinks.
At a Baby Shower Or Other Party
Add a delicate touch to a baby shower, milestone birthday, or other life events with a delicate floral note in your drinks and ice.
At a Bar or Restaurant
For a high-end cocktail experience, bartenders can add a floral touch to their menus. Pair your drinks with floral ice embeds to elevate your garnish game and set your menu apart.
Inspiration
There are endless ways to add floral notes to your cocktails and mocktails. If you’re eager to explore the possibilities, we’ve collected some inspiration for you.
Champagne & Roses
Add a rim of dried roses to your glass to elevate a simple glass of champagne or sparkling wine. This elegant drink is perfect for a wedding toast. You’ll need the following:
- A champagne flute
- A bottle of bubbly
- Dried rose petals
- Rose simple syrup
All you need to do for this simple beverage is chop up the dried rose petals and use the syrup and petals to rim your glass.
Elderflower & Gin
Elderflower and gin are a classic pairing for any fan of floral flavor. To mix this one up, grab a few basic ingredients:
- Your favorite gin
- Tonic water
- Lime wedges
- Elderflower liqueur
Add gin and elderflower liqueur to a lowball glass with clear craft ice. Top with tonic water and squeeze in a lime wedge.
Honey, Rose & Bourbon
This Honey Rose Old Fashioned is the perfect way to enjoy the floral notes of rose in your cocktail. To make it, gather the following:
- Rose-Honey Simple Syrup
- Bourbon
- Apple bitters
- An orange peel
To make, combine the syrup, bourbon, and bitters, then strain into a rocks glass over a large craft botanical ice cube. Garnish with the orange peel.
Ready to add a floral touch to your favorite drinks? Block Ice can help you choose the right floral-infused craft ice to elevate your event.
Explore Block’s hand-crafted botanical cubes. Order now.
Image credit: Anna Wick
