The best part about edible flowers, besides their vibrant colors and gorgeous petals, is that they can easily be included in cocktails, desserts, and other sweet treats.
This is to add an extra bit of glamour to your food presentation. And who doesn’t want their food to be a little more glamorous?
Here are some of the best edible flowers for cocktails you can find and use to spice up your next cocktail party!
Edible Flowers for Cocktails
1. Rose Petals
Delicate and beautiful rose petals make a stunning addition to any cocktail. They can rim the glass, garnish, or even muddle into the drink itself.
Be sure to remove the bitter-white part of the petal and use only the softest, most colorful parts.
Also, add them just before serving to retain their shape and color. Petals from peach blossoms will look different depending on where you’re living.
So, you’ll want to test your petals before using them if you don’t know what kind you have.
If they’re dusty pink with speckles of darker pink around the edges, then they’re a variety called ‘Peach Blossom’ cultivated in Japan for centuries.
2. Violet Flowers
Add a pop of color and floral flavor to your cocktails with violet flowers. Violets are edible, have a delicate flavor, and make stunning garnishes.
To use violet flowers as edible flowers for cocktails, pluck the petals off the flower and float them in your drink.
Or, for a more dramatic presentation, dip the entire flower in sugar and then perch it on the rim of your glass.
You can also steep violets in tea or liquor. The gentler flavors go well with vodka or gin, while their strong taste will overwhelm more robust flavors like bourbon.
3. Marigold Blossoms
Vibrant and sunny, these edible flowers for cocktails add a beautiful pop of color to any cocktail.
Marigold blossoms are also said to have a slightly spicy flavor, making them the perfect garnish for drinks with a bit of heat. Add a handful to margaritas or sangria!
Marigolds can be found at most garden centers in late spring or early summer.
They’re available year-round from some specialty nurseries and online retailers and at your local farmer’s market or grocery store.
When buying marigolds, you can choose whether you want the leaves or just the petals—either way, they will work for cocktails! Generally, it is best to use fresh marigolds that haven’t been stored too long.
4. Chrysanthemum Blossoms
These delicate, pretty, edible flowers for cocktails are perfect for adding a touch of elegance to any cocktail.
They can be found in white, yellow, pink, and red and taste slightly bitter.
Chrysanthemum blossoms, also known as mums, make a lovely garnish for drinks like the tequila sunrise or champagne cocktail.
During the spring and summer, you can find them at most grocery stores in the produce department.
5. Lavender Buds
Add a touch of elegance to your next cocktail party with lavender buds!
These beautiful edible flowers for cocktails look great in a drink and have a subtle flavor that is perfect for summertime sipping.
Remove the petals from the stem and float them in your glass. Cheers!
One of our favorite ways to use these gorgeous edible flowers for cocktails is as edible garnishes on top of fizzes and cream sodas.
Whether you add them to Champagne or sparkling water, their delicate fragrance adds a hint of luxury without overpowering.
Add tiny edible glitter stars made from sugar by dissolving them in water for extra sparkle until they become completely clear.
Pour slowly onto your glass while constantly stirring until you have added enough stars so that they cover the surface evenly.
The glitter adds just enough glamour without being too over-the-top. One single flower can also impact when used as an ice cube!
6. Calendula Petals
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that calendula petals are edible and have a pleasantly peppery flavor that can add a nice zing to cocktails.
They’re also incredibly beautiful, with their orange and yellow petals. I’ll be using these in my next batch of drinks! What other flowers would you recommend?
7. Dandelion Blossoms
The dandelion is one of the world’s most widespread flowers, and its blossoms are no exception!
They can add a pop of color to any cocktail, and their slightly sweet flavor pairs well with many spirits.
Plus, they’re a source of Vitamin A and potassium. So drink up and enjoy these lovely blooms as edible flowers for cocktails.
8. Nasturtium Petals
The nasturtium is a flowering plant that produces beautiful, edible flowers. The petals have a peppery flavor that can add a unique zing to any cocktail.
Nasturtiums are also stunning to look at, making them the perfect garnish for a special occasion drink.
They are high in vitamins A and C and are considered among the most edible flowers on this list.
9. Butterfly Bush
The Butterfly Bush is a shrub that grows in many parts of the world. Its flowers are a deep purple color and have a very unique shape. They can add a beautiful and exotic touch to any cocktail.
The best time to harvest them is when they are just starting to open or at their peak, as they will become too bitter if left too long.
The plant has a long history of use in traditional medicine, with its dried leaves being used for coughs and colds, its bark for pain relief, its seeds for inflammation, and its flowers as an insect repellent.
It has even been said that these plants were named because they looked like butterflies dancing around your head when you breathed in their scent while walking through them in the fields!
10. Honeysuckle
I love honeysuckle! Its beautiful aroma makes it a great addition to any cocktail. I’ve used it in everything from mojitos to daiquiris, and it always adds a touch of elegance.
I highly recommend it if you’re looking for edible flowers for cocktails!
Uses of Edible Flowers for Cocktail
You should add these beautiful edible blooms to your favorite drinks for many reasons.
- Edible flowers are a beautiful and unexpected way to garnish a cocktail. They look amazing- who doesn’t want their cocktail to look straight out of the garden?
- They provide a delicious flavor you would not have had otherwise if you drank straight liquor. Did I mention they taste great?
- These all-natural blossoms provide significant health benefits like aiding digestion and relaxing the body while releasing toxins from the skin.
- They can add a touch of elegance to any drink and are also a great way to show off your bartending skills.
- Plus, they’re a fun way to experiment with different flavors and colors in your drinks.
How to Use Edible Flowers for Cocktails?
To use them, pluck the petals off the flower and float them on top of your drink. You can make these beautifully colored ice cubes using red or pink rose petals.
Place a few whole rose heads in an ice cube tray filled with water, freeze overnight, then pop out the frozen cubes and store them in an airtight container until you need one.
Rose water is also a perfect addition to cocktails to avoid adding too much sugar or fruit juice.
Mix about four tablespoons of organic dried rose petals into boiling water for 30 minutes. Once cooled, strain out the solids before using as desired.
Conclusion
Summer is the perfect time to incorporate edible flowers into your cocktails! Roses, lavender, chamomile, and hibiscus are stunning in flavor and appearance.
Not only do they make your drinks look gorgeous, but they can also add a unique flavor profile that will tantalize your taste buds.
So next time you want to impress your guests, reach for some edible flowers for cocktails and make them the star of the show!
