Recipes

Creating Cocktails with Edible Flowers & Herbs

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Delicious cocktail inspiration can come from anywhere— even your backyard!

Explore the world of edible flowers with our favourite botanical cocktail recipes. From seasonal blooms like lilacs and cherry blossoms to all-weather flora like rosemary and thyme, the following 8 creations are sure to brighten up your home bar!

Looking to plant an edible cocktail garden of your own? Be sure to visit this blog post to discover easy-to-grow additions to your backyard oasis.

JUMP to the recipes:
  1. Lavender — Empress Lavender Lemonade
  2. Cherry Blossoms — Sakura Mojito
  3. Butterfly Pea Blossoms — Q1908
  4. Rose Petals — Negroni Rosa
  5. Violas & Pansies — The Garden Party
  6. Elderflower — Elderflower Sour
  7. Lilacs — Lady Syringa
  8. Assorted Herbs — Windsor Garden

Natural Inspiration: Meet our gin

SOTC BLOG Cocktail Images

Both Empress 1908 Indigo and Elderflower Rose take inspiration from our natural setting in stunning Victoria, British Columbia. Empress Indigo Gin features vibrant butterfly pea blossoms, which imbue an all-natural indigo hue and delicious earthy flavour. Empress Elderflower Rose is comprised of its namesake ingredients, in addition to lavender, orris root (of the iris flower) and black carrot. Learn more about our signature botanical recipes below!

  • Explore Empress 1908 Indigo’s 8 signature botanicals here.
  • Discover Empress 1908 Elderflower Rose’s 9 unique botanicals here.

cocktails blooming in flavour

Dive into our freshest picks featuring flowers & herbs galore!

EDIBLE FLOWER: LAVENDER
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Lavender honey syrup
  • 1 cup sugar 
  • 1 cup honey
  • 1 tbsp culinary grade lavender buds
METHOD:
  1. First, add honey and water to a small saucepan on medium heat and stir to combine. 
  2. Lower the heat and add lavender buds.
  3. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the desired flavour is reached.
  4. Cool, strain, and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks!

For a full tutorial, visit our Youtube channel!

EDIBLE FLOWER: CHERRY BLOSSOMS
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EDIBLE FLOWER: Butterfly pea blossoms
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Did you know?

We discovered butterfly pea blossoms in a signature tea blend at the iconic Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia! The flower gives Empress 1908 Indigo Gin its distinctive blue hue, and transforms the gin to a soft pink or lavender with the addition of any acidity.

EDIBLE FLOWER: rose petals
SOTC BLOG Cocktail Images 1
EDIBLE FLOWER: Violas & Pansies
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TIP!

Violas and pansies can be used fresh, or pressed & dried for later! Read on for the simple steps to preserve these blooms:

  1. Collect desired flowers from your pansy or viola plant, trimming the stems and leaves.
  2. Arrange the blooms on a sheet of parchment paper, ensuring they don’t overlap.
  3. Place another sheet of parchment paper on top, and carefully place between the centre pages of a heavy book.
  4. Store the book beneath a stack of more heavy books, or on a tightly packed shelf. Leave 1 week to 10 days, or until completely dry.
EDIBLE FLOWER: Elderflower
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EDIBLE FLOWER: LILACs
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@mrs.barnes’ Lilac syrup:
  • 4 cups fresh lilac, de-stemmed
  • 2 cups raw cane sugar
  • 2 cups water
METHOD:
  1. Carefully shake any bugs off and de- stem the lilac. The fresher the flowers, the more fragrant the taste.
  2. In a saucepan dissolve the sugar in the water. Take off heat and let cool for ten minutes.
  3. Fill a mason jar with the lilac and pour the sugar water over. Let stand for 24 hours for optimal fragrance.
  4. Strain and pour into a clean jar and keep refrigerated for up to three weeks.

Click here to visit @mrs.barnes’ full blog post!

EDIBLE FLOWER: FResh Garden Herbs
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Feeling inspired? Be sure to follow along at #EmpressInBloom on Instagram for all things garden-inspired for spring and summer sipping.

Sip responsibly!

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