The pleasure of sipping a cocktail in your garden with friends and family on a hot Fort Lauderdale summer day is unsurpassed, and there is no better way to revive your guests’ taste buds than to add floral-infused simple syrup to your cocktail drinks. Aside from being so delicious, the best part is that you can supply the ingredients straight from your garden! Whether you’re growing rose, lilac, lavender, begonias, geranium, or hibiscus, these floral-infused simple syrup recipes will leave your guests viewing you as the ultimate party host and mixologist this summer season.
How To Make DIY Floral Infused Simple Syrups
With its subtle floral flavor, lavender simple syrup is the perfect ingredient to liven up your backyard beverages. This lavender-infused simple syrup recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free while still simple, cost-effective, and delicious. All you need is three simple ingredients: water, sugar, and flower blossoms from your garden. All you have to do is mix a simple syrup and then let it sit at room temperature to let the flavors infuse while you sit by the pool and soak up some summer sun!
When mixing your simple syrup concoction, use equal parts of sugar and water—for example, ½ cup of water and ½ cup of sugar. As a result, the syrup will be consistent, refreshing, and not overpowering.
Simple Syrup Instructions
Start by adding the sugar, water, and blossoms to a compact saucepan and heat over medium heat. Then, reduce the heat to a simmer and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the heat and let it sit for 20 minutes at room temperature, then strain and store in a jar.
What Are the Best Flowers for Cocktail Drinks?
Use your tastebuds to guide you and consider how you will be able to use each flower in cocktail recipes when choosing flowers for your garden. Rose syrup works great in Gin Fizz style drinks with citrus and Prosecco, while hibiscus-infused simple syrup has earthy notes, tastes like cranberry, and pairs well with lavender and mint rosemary, and thyme. Beautiful in their color, begonia blossoms have a citrus taste, adding more of a tangy and sour element to your beverage.
Begonia Infused Syrup
Begonias will be your year-long friends in Florida. They are low-maintenance, easy to enjoy, and make for delicious summer cocktails like Citrus Vodka Cocktails and Lemon Drop Martinis. Make sure to save a few petals to sprinkle on top of your cocktails; their vibrant aesthetic beauty serves as such a great garnish!
Rose Infused Syrup
Rose-infused simple syrup is extremely diverse and adds an element of delicacy to your drink, making it great for cocktails like Old Fashioneds and Cucumber Melon Martinis. While some recipes use rose water instead of rose-infused syrup, it’s important to remember that rose syrup is sweet, while rose water is made without sugar and is used for its aroma rather than taste.
Hibiscus Infused Syrup
When used in drinks, hibiscus simple syrup offers a subtle tangy flavor and a bold rich color. Perfect for cocktails and mocktails, this delicious floral will leave you with drinks that resemble a Florida sunset, with rich tones of deep red, burgundy, and delicious light herbal perfumes. Hibiscus and lavender are often paired together in cocktail recipes like the Hibiscus Lavender Prosecco Punch and the Heavenly Hibiscus Martini – both amazing refreshments for a hot Floridian summer day.
Lavender Infused Syrup
Lavender comes from the mint plant family, making it a refreshing and earthy option for summer cocktails like the Blackberry Lavender Gin Sour. If you want your Lavender simple syrup to appear darker in color, you can add some blueberries or blackberries to your simple syrup recipe, as this will give you the darker, more intense purple appearance that you usually see when ordering lavender-infused drinks in restaurants!
With so many delicious floral flavors to choose from, it can be hard to narrow down which floral-infused simple syrup recipe to start with; try them all! Visit us today at Living Color Garden Center in Fort Lauderdale for all your floral-infused ingredients and other gardening needs!