It’s officially starting to feel like Spring and with that in mind we thought it would be a good idea to start prepping for something very important. Summer cocktails.
These jewelled ice cubes add a touch of colour and style to your cocktails that require cubed ice (think the Old Fashionedor the Caipiroska) and they are super versatile too. Think edible flowers, herbs and fruits.
When using edible flowers you must ensure that they are definitely edible! A list of popular edible flowers can be found here. If you are growing your own make sure they are pesticide free and be wary of any bought from a garden centre as you don’t know what chemicals they have used. If in doubt the best thing to do is order them online like we did. There are hundreds of lovely edible flower shops online who pick them fresh and post them to you to arrive the next day. If you like getting post, getting flowers in the post is even better!
You will need:
A silicon ice tray
A selection of edible flowers – we went for violas and pansies
A selection of fruits – we went for blueberries, raspberries and pomegranate seeds
A selection of herbs – we went for basil, thyme & mint
Water
This tutorial could not be simpler. First off make sure your ice trays are clean. We’ve used silicon trays as they make it much easier to remove the ice cubes once frozen but an ordinary one will do the job just fine. Just be extra careful when removing the cubes from the tray.
Next simply place your flowers, fruits and herbs into each square. We tended to keep the flowers individual and mix up the fruits and herbs.
Once you are happy with your layout top up the trays with cold water being careful not to fill them up too high as water expands when frozen.
Pop in the freezer for a few hours until frozen solid. Remove from freezer and peel away silicon to pop out your beautiful ice cubes.
Don’t worry if some of the petals have risen to the top in the freezer, it all adds to the charm.
But what ice cubes should you use with each drink? There's the real question....
The Flowers
Check out this taste chart if you used other flowers but violets and pansies have a super fresh taste. Therefore, they work most excellently if you use them with something crisper. Our recommendation? The St. Germain Cocktail. Learn how to make it below.
The Herbs
If it was mint that you used in your ice cubes, then look no further than the Martini Royale, the delicious drink that's made up of Martini Bianco Vermouth and prosecco which is super simple to make.
The Fruit
Pop a couple of your fruity ice cubes in the already fruit-tastic Whisky and Elderflower cobbler. Works best if you use sweeter fruits.
Like this? Then you might also be interested in:
How To Kit Your Kitchen Out With All You Need To Become A Master Cocktail Maker, For Under A Tenner*
Follow Claire on Twitter at @imcalledclaire or over on her blog Super+Super
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.