Flowers are so much more than just a beautiful and colorful addition to the garden. Did you know that there are also edible flowers that can add aroma, texture and even taste to your favorite cocktails?
Edible flowers come in a variety of flavors and textures and can be used in a variety of ways as a cocktail garnish. You can use them raw, dried, or in candied form.
When choosing an edible flower for your cocktail garnish, the key is to look for flowers that have complementing tastes and aromas.
It is also important to choose carefully and make sure that the flower is actually edible. Also keep in mind that some may contain chemicals that cause allergic reactions, or may even be poisonous.
Not what we want to serve our guests so make sure to do your homework!
Here are 11 edible flowers for cocktail garnishes (and some delicious cocktail recipes) to try at your next cocktail party:
- Hibiscus
- Peonies
- Roses
- Violas
- Honeysuckles
- Lavender
- Pansies
- Marigolds
- Sunflowers
- Cherry Blossoms
- Chamomile
Hibiscus
With a tart and floral taste that resembles that of cranberry or pomegranate, hibiscus is often used to make teas, jams, and sauces. All parts of the hibiscus flower are edible, making it a delicious edible flower for a cocktail garnish.
Not only does the hibiscus flower make a beautiful and tasty addition to your cocktail, but is also said to be good for your health! The hibiscus flower is packed with antioxidants and essential compounds that help lower blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol, as well as improve your hair growth, boost your immunity, and prevent skin cancer.
Ingredients:
- ½ tablespoon honey
- ½ tablespoon hot water
- 2 oz whiskey
- ¾ oz lemon juice
- 1 oz hibiscus tea chilled
- Garnish: hibiscus flower, thyme sprig
Instructions:
- Add honey and hot water to a cocktail shaker and whisk together until the honey is dissolved.
- Add whiskey, lemon juice and ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a glass with fresh ice.
- Top with hibiscus tea. Garnish with a hibiscus flower and thyme.
Peonies
Peony flowers are fragrant and taste exactly like they smell: Mild and sweet. They are often said to have a taste that takes after a peach or strawberry, and can be used to garnish salads as well as refreshing drinks.
However, it is important to note that only the petals of peonies are edible. The roots, flowers, and seeds are poisonous and can cause nausea, diarrhea, skin irritation, and an accelerated heartbeat.
Ingredients:
For the cocktail:
- 4 oz rose wine
- 1 oz vodka
- ½ oz peony simple syrup, recipe below
- Ice
- Sparkling water
For the simple syrup:
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 untreated peony flower (petals only!)
Instructions:
For the cocktail:
- Fill a cocktail or sturdy wine glass with ice.
- Add rose, vodka and peony syrup.
- Top with sparkling water.
- Stir gently and serve
For the simple syrup:
- Add sugar, petals and ½ cup water to a small saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved.
Roses
If you’re planning to serve up a classy cocktail with rum, gin, bourbon or vodka, roses are the perfect edible flower for your cocktail garnish. While red is the most popular color of rose to use as a garnish, yellow and white roses may also be used.
Roses have a floral and slightly sweet flavor and can be eaten raw, dried, or muddled. In addition to being a beautiful way to top off your favorite drink, they are also packed with nutrition! That’s right, roses also contain vitamin A, vitamin C, niacin, potassium, iron, calcium, and phosphorus. When it comes to which part to eat, there’s no need to worry: The leaves, buds, petals, and hips are all edible.
Ingredients:
- 4 oz of Bourbon
- 1 oz of Simple Syrup
- 1 oz of Lemon Juice
- 1 ½ teaspoon of Rose Syrup
- ¼ cup of Egg Whites
- Seltzer Water
- Angostura Bitters
- Rose Petals and Lemon Rind for garnish
Instructions:
- Add bourbon, simple syrup, lemon juice, rose syrup, egg whites, and a dash of bitters to a cocktail shaker.
- Dry shake mixture.
- Add a little bit of ice and shake again.
- Slowly pour mixture over into glass over fresh ice.
- Top off with seltzer water.
- Garnish with rose petals and lemon rind.
Violas
With a tender texture, light perfumed scent, and subtly sweet taste, violas add a beautiful pop of color to your cocktail. Its flavor also contains light mint and wintergreen nuances, making a perfect addition to sweet and savory dishes.
As a medicinal plant, viola odorata is used to treat headache, cough, colds, bronchitis, and fever. The best part is, the entire flower is edible!
Ingredients:
- 1 oz of Crème de Violette or violet flavored liqueur
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
- 4 oz of brut champagne
- Fresh viola edible blooms for garnish
Instructions:
- Mix together the violet liqueur and lemon juice.
- Pour into your preferred serving glass.
- Top with champagne and garnish with edible viola blooms.
Honeysuckles
Also known as the honeyberry, the honeysuckle has a sweet smell of honey that radiates through the air when in bloom. They can be eaten raw, dried, or infused into vodka for a delicious honey-flavored cocktail.
The honeysuckle flowers themselves have a sweet and delicious nectar that can be squeezed out. The leaves are also edible, but most only eat the flower and nectar.
Ingredients:
For the cocktail:
- 1 oz honeysuckle syrup (instructions below)
- 1 oz gin
- 3⁄4 oz fresh grapefruit juice
- 2 oz dry sparkling wine
- 3 honeysuckle fresh edible flowers (to garnish)
For the syrup:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup washed, de-stemmed edible honeysuckle blossoms
- ⅛ teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions:
For the cocktail:
- In a shaker with ice, combine honeysuckle syrup (recipe below), gin, and grapefruit juice.
- Shake until chilled and strain into a champagne flute or coupe.
- Top off with sparkling wine.
- Garnish with fresh honeysuckle blossoms.
For the syrup:
- Add sugar and water to a pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is fully dissolved.
- Add honeysuckle blossoms and lemon juice then remove from heat.
- Cover and let steep for approximately 30 minutes until it reaches room temperature.
- Strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer into an airtight container and refrigerate.
Lavender
With a strong floral scent and flavors of mint and rosemary, Lavender is the perfect edible flower garnish for a spring-like cocktail. Although the scent and taste is powerful, it is also often used in savory dishes, sweets, and teas.
Lavender is generally safe to eat and the flower buds, leaves, and stems can be used fresh or dried. However, when using the lavender flower for cocktail garnishes or dishes, it is best to use only culinary lavender. Culinary lavender is specifically grown to contain less oil than the aromatic lavender used for perfumes and soaps.
Ingredients:
- 1½ cups organic lavender buds, lightly crushed
- 4 cups vodka
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions:
- Combine lavender buds and vodka in a jar.
- Cover and let steep for 2 weeks, shaking occasionally.
- Strain out the lavender buds and mix with honey to taste.
- Pour into a chilled martini glass and serve garnished with fresh sprigs of lavender if desired.
Pansies
One of the most popular edible flowers for a cocktail garnish, pansies have a mild, lettuce-like flavor with a light mint undertone and wintergreen scent. Unlike some edible flowers, untreated pansies are entirely edible from the stem to the petals.
Pansies are very decorative and come in a variety of colors, making them beautiful edible flowers for a cocktail garnish. They are also said to have antimicrobial properties that can help with health issues such as skin problems, asthma, high blood pressure and arthritis!
Ingredients:
For the cocktail:
- 1 ½ ounces gin
- 1 tablespoon pansy simple syrup (recipe below)
- ¾ ounce lemon juice
- Pansy flower for garnish
For the syrup:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup pansy flower petals
- 1 cup water
Instructions:
For the cocktail:
- Pour gin, simple syrup and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and place a lid on the shaker.
- Shake for 10-15 seconds or until properly chilled and diluted.
- Strain into chilled coupe glass and garnish with a pansy flower.
For the syrup:
- Tear the floral petals off of the stem and the base of the flower.
- Add the petals and the sugar into a food processor and pulse until combined.
- Heat the mixture with a cup of water over medium high heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Strain through a fine mesh strainer and let cool to room temperature.
- Store in an airtight bottle or container and refrigerate.
Marigolds
Marigolds are another one of the more popular edible flowers for cocktail garnishes and have been used since ancient times. However, it is important to note that not all varieties of marigold flowers are edible. The edible marigold varieties include Pot marigolds (Calendula officinalis), French marigolds (Tagetes patula), African marigolds (Tagetes erecta), Mexican mint marigolds (Tagetes Lucida), and lemon marigolds (Tagetes tenuifolia).
The flavor of the marigold depends on which edible variety you select. Pot marigolds have a mild, peppery taste, while Mexican mint marigolds have a tarragon-like flavor. Lemon marigolds are more citrusy. When it comes to using marigold as a garnish, stick to the petals and/or leaves for the best taste.
Marigold Cocktail
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ oz tequila
- 2 oz tonic
- ½ oz Cempaxúchil/Marigold syrup (recipe below)
- ½ oz fresh lime juice
- Simple syrup
- Fresh, edible marigold flowers
- Orange zest (for garnish)
Instructions:
For the cocktail:
- Add all liquid ingredients to an ice-filled Collins glass and stir to combine.
- Garnish with orange zest and edible marigold flower.
For the syrup:
- Blend the petals of 8 marigolds with 2 cups of simple syrup on medium speed in a blender.
- Strain to remove solids. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.
Sunflowers
Sunflowers aren’t just a beautiful addition to the garden (and a delicious snack if you like sunflower seeds), they’re also a perfect way to brighten up your favorite summer cocktail!
These beautiful, bright flowers are completely edible, meaning you can eat every part from the seeds to the petals to the stalks. Because sunflower petals are said to have somewhat of a bitter taste, they are best served in citrusy drinks. The rest of the sunflower can also be roasted, fried, and chopped up raw for salads.
Ingredients:
For the cocktail:
- 2 oz Reposado tequila
- ¾ oz Strega
- ½ oz sunflower orgeat (recipe below)
- ¾ oz fresh-pressed lime
- Sunflower petals for garnish
For the Sunflower Orgeat:
- 1 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
- 1 cup honey
- 1½ cups water
- ½ teaspoon orange blossom water
- 1 oz vodka
Instructions:
For the cocktail:
- Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker, add ice and shake vigorously for 10 seconds.
- Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
- Garnish with sunflower petals or a dwarf sunflower blossom.
For the Sunflower Orgeat:
- Lightly toast sunflower seeds in a pan over medium heat to a light golden color for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Cool and pulse in a food processor until finely ground.
- Combine honey and ground seeds in small saucepan over low heat.
- Stir until honey begins to bubble, then stir in the water.
- Simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Remove from heat, cover and infuse for at least 1 hour.
- Strain the batch through a double layer of cheesecloth, discarding solids.
- Stir in orange blossom water and vodka.
- Funnel into a clean bottle or Mason jar and store in refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Cherry Blossoms
Most know cherry blossoms as a beautiful tree flower, indicating the start of the Spring season. But what most don’t know is that cherry blossoms and their leaves are edible and are often used in many traditional Japanese sweets and tea!
Cherry blossoms can be eaten raw or candied and have a sweet and fruity rose flavor, similar to cherries. Therefore, it’s no surprise that cherry blossoms also make a great garnish for a spritz-y spring cocktail.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 2 tablespoon Sumo citrus juice
- 1 teaspoon bitters
- 1 cup Sake
- 1 cup chilled Prosecco
- Ice cubes
- Small cherry blossom branches
Instructions:
- Pour the honey, citrus and bitters into a cocktail shaker.
- Shake well to dissolve the honey, creating a sweet and sour simple syrup.
- In a tall flute place small ice cubes, ½ shot of simple syrup and one shot of Sake.
- Fill the glass with Prosecco, about ½ cup per glass.
- Top with cherry blossom garnish.
Chamomile
Often used in teas and extracts, chamomile is known to reduce anxiety, calm upset stomachs, and help with sleep. It is also an edible flower that can be used as a beautiful cocktail garnish.
Chamomile flowers have a small daisy-like appearance and a mild, apple-like flavor. Both the leaves and flowers are edible, but differ in taste. They can be eaten raw or in dried form. While the stem of the flower is edible, it is not palatable.
Chamomile Honey and Whiskey Cocktail
Ingredients:
- 6 chamomile tea bags
- 4 cups hot water
- 4 teaspoon honey
- 3 fl oz whiskey or bourbon
- 2 orange slices
- 3 lemon slices
- Fresh edible chamomile flowers (optional)
Instructions:
- Boil hot water, then pour over tea bags.
- Add honey and bourbon, then let steep.
- Shake in a cocktail shaker and pour over ice cubes.
- Top with chamomile flower garnish.
Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts below!