Summers are a time when your cocktails need to be light and refreshing, a far cry from the heavy, heaty ones we consume when the temperatures dip. And it cannot get more summery than floral cocktails. There is nothing more delicate than having edible flowers lace your cocktail and not only they make your drink look picture perfect with the dash of colours, but they also enhance the flavour of the cocktail.
Flowers flavour a great variety of liqueurs, complex botanical gins and bitters. What’s more, they can be used in myriad ways — to top the ice cubes, crushed flower petals to line the rim of your glass, as infusions, flower flavoured cordials and so on. Less is more when it comes to adding edible flowers in cocktails. One needs to be cautious about the quantity, as too much of it might make the drink too sweet for comfort. Even the fragrance of the flowers may interfere with the flavours of the drink and mask the potency of the alcohol. And no tipple lover wants that.
I have always had a fetish for floral cocktails. My all-time favourite is a hibiscus flower, which has been infused in syrup, added to a champagne flute — pretty as a picture. The use of elderflower liqueur in cocktails is most common and acceptable. Especially with vodka. A soothing lavender martini with gin, vodka, crème de violette, elderflower liqueur would make another ideal option for Indian summers.
Rose and violet liqueurs too are popular choices. Combined with crème de menthe, cacao, and a dash of cognac, these make for a unique cocktail. Syrups infused with lavender or hibiscus along with bitters, are what many bartenders prefer to play around with. Vodka, ginger syrup, lime and dried lavender, also makes for an alluring blend. And a light refreshing drink perfect for the ladies would be some gin infused with rose petals. For those who find all their answers in wine, you could settle for a Prosecco infused with wild hibiscus.
I once sampled the Van Gogh cocktail made with gin, crème de Violette, lemon juice and simple syrup. It was a treat for the eyes and a treat for the taste buds too. Flowers can elevate the character of gin, or enhance the fruity tone of cognac. I am all for such cocktails, as lighter ones appeal to me any day.
Presentation always enhances a drink and one can be creative and use the same flower as a garnish, as the one used as an infusion in the cocktail. Serve the cocktail in the right glass and you have a winner. Of course one must take care to ensure that the floral ingredients used in drinks are fresh and hygienic and procured from the right place. Else, toxic substances in these could be harmful.
Mini is a food writer
