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Get your gardening gloves on, here are the best edible flowers to garnish drinks! That’s right, flowers make a great addition to your favorite cocktails. Take your favorite recipe, and spruce it up with a little color and some extra flavor! If you’re really looking to impress your dinner guests, friends or just to light up your Instagram feed this is exactly what you’re looking for. Take a walk through your garden and learn to really appreciate the untapped cocktail potential here people!
These are the Best Edible Flowers to Garnish Drinks
You’re stuck in a rut. Your award-winning kitchen party cocktails just aren’t getting the Facebook likes they used to. You need something new to really shake up your mixed drink game on the block. Flowers aren’t always the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a good garnish. Then again, people do use stalks of celery… You’ll certainly be surprised with the variety of flavors available from a visually appealing and readily available. Before you raid your or your neighbour’s garden, give our list a gander to find out what the best edible flowers to garnish drinks are.
Where to Find Edible Flowers
Strictly avoid flowers from the florist shop or flower stand, these are likely sprayed with who knows what substances to keep them looking fresh for a while. Flowers that are commercially harvested may have had the same treatment, Most importantly however, know your plants before eating them by the handful. Before you go out onto the trail, or into the garden with a set of trimmers make sure you consider exactly what you’re going to be eating before making the decision to use it.
If you really want to play it safe, you can find several sources of food-grade flowers, petals and buds available for purchased grown specifically for consumption. If you’re in the market for edible flowers to garnish drinks, make sure the source you’re getting them from is safe!
Dandelions
Taraxacum
Your most troublesome weed might just be your next favorite garnish. This pesky little wildflower are a somewhat bitter, nutty edible accoutrement to your cocktail lineup! Consider something zesty for these unique and eye catching garnishing flowers!
Geranium
Geraniaceae
A little herbal, a bit like greens and all of the color to dress up your drinks! Give your garnish a step up with these delightfully colorful and fun flowers. They’re popular perennials and shouldn’t be hard to find. Their gradient of colors make them an awesome cocktail dressing for drinks with a visual twist!
Lavender
Lamiaceae
Apple like tones with a splash of mint and a bit of earthiness will complement a fruity gin cocktail quite nicely. Not to mention the lovely fragrance, the light purple hue of this well loved flower will make your drinks the talk of the town.
Hibiscus
Malvaceae
There are many different kinds, and they come in a wide variety of colors. These flowers give off a deep cranberry like taste. Paired with your favorite cocktail, these leaf petals could even go well crushed to make a twist on something like a Julep, or Moscow Mule.
Roses
Rosa
Roses provide a subtle flavor, more so for other varieties that can yield a sweet flavor with soft petals. Primarily, roses make for a more visually stunning addition to your mixed drink than anything else. Use them for an elegant piece of flair!
Sunflower
Helianthus annuus
Well known as a snack for their seeds, Sunflowers make a bright appearance placed on top of any drink. Slightly bitter, their petals are a great way to garnish summertime beverages. The bulb is said to have an artichoke like taste when cooked if you’re looking for a way to use the whole flower!
Tulip
Tulipa
Tulip bulbs are a great go to for a spring cocktail! Their bulbs are completely edible, providing a sweet milky taste. These flowers make a really fabulous addition to your favorite cocktails, bringing a nice gentle hue to a refreshing drink.
Hawkweeds
Hieracium
Hawkweeds are somewhat related to the Dandelion family, they’re considerably smaller and come in bunches. It’s slightly bitter but a really great way to mix up an otherwise unlikely interesting garnish. Use for your favorite outdoorsey drinks.
Lilacs
Syringa vulgaris
Consider these sweet and scented flower garden favorites for your next vodka cocktail! Found in many gardens, these gorgeous flowers make for a stunning and easy garnish. Vodka drinks would be a good contender, particularly a Long Island. Balance them against some clear liquor for a nice balance of flavors.
Peony
Paeonia
These large, gorgeous bulbs aren’t only a good edible alternative for your garnish they’ll also steal the show! Ditch the cocktail umbrellas and tacky plastic swords, spruce your drinks up with a natural and easy to find alternative. Peonies would be perfect punchbowl garnish that will bring your outdoor BBQ to life!
Queen Anne’s Lace
Daucus Carota
Queen Anne’s Lace is a sprawling, white bushel of small flowers that blossom to create a visually stunning white lace like appearance. These small wild flowers would make a great garnish as well as an ingredient. Grinding these small flowers could have any number of possibilities, consider adding them to a Mojito, or Julep for a fun twist! Slightly bitter, they’re a subtle but pretty addition to your favorite cocktails.
Thanks for checking out our favorite edible flowers to garnish drinks with! There’s a lot more out there, and you’d be doing yourself a disservice to limit your horizons in the world of edible, and eye catching drink garnishes. I mean, everybody needs a hobby right? If you want to really up your game, try adding these edible flower garnishes to these iconic cocktails from the movies!
In any case, let us know what you thought about these! Have you tried any edible flowers and if so, what do you think? Thanks for stopping by and happy flower picking!
