Introducing flowers to drinks has rapidly become one of the frontiers of the artisanal kitchen and modern mixology, presenting new gustatory challenges to forward-looking bartenders intent on crafting a delicious beverage equivalent of a cocktail. To create a satisfyingly floral drink, it is essential to blend rare edible flower flavours with appropriate brews.
The Atacama Desert in Chile, one of the driest places on Earth, is currently blooming with untamed splendour thanks to enough water convincing long-dormant desert seeds that it’s time to grow.
Calendula Lemonade
Calendulas are the familiar, bright-orange or yellow-and-orange flowering annuals whose cheerful splashes of colour, as well as all-round hardiness and usefulness as a culinary and medicinal ingredient, lend them a valued and honoured presence in the flower garden. The plant calendula is similarly useful, thanks to its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. This helps when one still has cold or flu symptoms lingering. This Tangerine Nasturtium Spritzer makes medicinal use of the medicinal herb, Tangerine Nasturtium, A quick and easy cocktail requiring only four ingredients with, and none of them are refined sugar, so it’s great to sip this summer time to cool off!
Desert Blooms in a Glass
Uncork the corkscrew: throughout the mountain desert West, from the dark slopes of the Transvolcanic Range in the Sierra Madre of Mexico to the Sonoran, Mojave and Chihuahuan deserts, deserts might seem neutral places, dry and hard-edged, but in a banner spring following the wettest winter in 30 years, lichens light up the sides of burnt scrub weepers, and cactus and wildflowers bloom across the high tops and rock rims of canyons and mesa. This flower cocktail toast to spring. Pummel the blossom-free flowers and herbs until the scent shines through, then add to ice, shake, strain, pour in a coupe glass and finish with an edible flower for an exemplar of a summer drink on the patio or bar.
Desert Blooms in a Martini
As inexpensive as it might be, infusing a shot of gin with flower workers’ blossoms adds depth and subtle flavors, and a liquor-based drink always feels more refreshing, doesn’t it? This cocktail uses the floral triptych of lavender-infused gin mixed with elderflower liqueur and hibiscus rose syrup. Flowery brews are also being offered by breweries; look for a lavender lager – with its slight flower note – or a chamomile wheat ale with subtle sophistication to greet you at your next dinner party. This spritely meal from the Kitchen Flowers website perfectly complements the beverage, saying: ‘Simply season your grilled chicken and salads with salt and pepper. Serve with Citrus Vinaigrette Dressing.’
Desert Blooms in a Margarita
Drawing inspiration from desert flowers blooming in hostile environments, this enlivening cocktail, made from lavender, rose syrup, lemon and gin, surpasses its desert floral namesake by embracing nature’s untamed bounty. Shake with ice and strain into a coupe to serve, with a sprig of thyme as a garnish for an additional floral edge.
Desert Blooms in a Sour
The Desert Bloom cocktail is in celebration of life, they spring from the crack in the hard earth, a wonderful moment of beauty in ravaged conditions, to be savoured in a coupe to awaken all the aromatic elements and nuances of taste. Pair Desert Bloom with a light citrus vinaigrette salad for a luscious dinner or use the flower petals as garnishes and tea flavourings. Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) has amazing soft purple blossoms with a sweet licorice flavour!
Desert Blooms in a Fizzy
Whatever the case and whoever the recipient, these wonderful gifts are the perfect present to be enjoyed on any occasion. Handled with care and attention, they will last longer than a traditional bouquet and can be enjoyed all year long. Superblooms draw San Diegans to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park for a poppy-hued floral display that carpets entire wilderness outcroppings in Technicolor pigmentations that have also registered on instruments circling Earth in low-orbit. Drive, hike or bike on Glorietta Trail or De Georgio Road or take a road trip to the South-Borrego Lake Loop for an up close and personal waterholes of California poppies, brittlebush, and sand verbena.
Desert Blooms in a Sparkling
But there’s a fun infusion technique you can use to make your cocktails genuinely floral-flavoured. And it’s easy, too! Your cocktails will be even more glorious than before. Each spring, visitors to the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in southern California witness what’s known as Desert Bloom, where the park is covered in a riot of wildflowers, and this year could be the best ever – a delicate floral carpet covers much of the park. I can recommend a stop over at the State Park Visitor Centre and hikes along the Glorietta Trail, Desert Gardens, De Georgio Road and Ocotillo Flats.
Desert Blooms in a Champagne
Food and cocktails should always be paired perfectly, and some dishes pair better than others. A grilled chicken salad with citrus vinaigrette would complement this Desert Bloom cocktail and deliver those same light and refreshing notes. During desert flower bloom (when this story was published), visitors are urged to tread lightly so this rarely seen natural spectacle can spread its beauty. Follow established trails, don’t pick flowers or trample on them.
