By The Tahona Society Editorial Team
Flower Power: Garnish Your Spring Cocktails with Edible Flowers
Spring Ingredients for Cocktails
Seasonal ingredients are perfect for spring cocktails. We invited Tahona Society Community members around the world to share and discuss flavor profiles, availability of ingredients, and how we can incorporate them into our drink menus to add a touch of blossom-season flair.
5 Ingredients that will Make you Fall in Love with this Spring
Valerie Alvarado @your.spiritual.advisor , Agave National Brand Ambassador in the US, assures that during spring, you can find plenty of fruits that you can use for cocktails!
For spring, she suggested to include these ingredients in your cocktails:
- 1. Pear
- 2. Apple
- 3. Lemon
- 4. Tangerine
- 5. Bergamot
Valerie shared a twist on a Daisy recipe, for example:
Use 60 ml of Altos Plata, 20 ml of Bergamot Juice, and 10 ml of sugar syrup. Shake well and serve with a top of Apple Soda!
This is How we Lived the Spring in the UK
Dré Masso @dremasso lives in London. As you know, he’s the co-creator and global ambassador of Altos tequila and kindly shared examples of spring ingredients and how you can take full advantage of them:
5 Reasons Why Rhubarb is “the King of the Ingredients”
- 1. Rhubarb is abundant in spring in the UK and adds a delicious tart and slightly sweet flavor to cocktails.
- 2. It has traditionally been paired with gin and vodka, but it also works wonderfully well with an unaged tequila like Altos Plata.
- 3. Its vibrant pink color also adds lovely visual appeal to drinks. Raw rhubarb can be steeped in alcohol!
- 4. Alternatively, you can cook some chopped rhubarb with sugar and water to make a sumptuous syrup.
- 5. For a stunning rhubarb garnish take the raw stick and thinly slice with a potato peeler.
8 Spring Ingredients to use in your Cocktails this Spring
It’s time to change your bar menu and incorporate fresh, local, colorful, fragrant, and flavorful products that will combine wonderfully with top-quality tequila. Dré Masso recommends the following:
1. Verbena: A Classic Spring Herb
According to Dré, verbena adds a refreshing citrusy and herbaceous flavor to cocktails. Its bright and aromatic profile makes it an ideal ingredient for mojitos, mint juleps, or other spring-inspired cocktails. Fresh verbena can be muddled, shaken, or used as a garnish to enhance the aroma and taste of drinks.
2. White Strawberries
Despite their appearance, they are often described as having a combination of sweetness and tartness, with subtle hints of pineapple flavor.
3. Blackcurrants
They have a unique flavor that is simultaneously sweet, tart, and slightly tangy. This distinctive taste makes them a popular ingredient in sweet preparations such as jams, jellies, and syrups.
4. Gooseberries
Gooseberries are known for their tart flavor, which can range from slightly sour to moderately tart, depending on the variety and ripeness of the berries. Some varieties are sweeter when fully ripe, but they still retain a tangy taste.
5. Lemon balm
Lemon balm is often used as a culinary herb to add flavor to beverages. Its leaves can be used fresh or dried to infuse a lemony flavor into herbal teas and infusions, for example. It is also known for its calming properties and is often consumed before bedtime to promote relaxation and improve sleep quality.
6. Lovage
The flavor of lovage herb is similar to celery but more intense and aromatic. Both the leaves and stems of the plant are edible and can be used to add flavor to cordials, bitters, teas, and cocktails.
7. Borage
Borage flowers are not only beautiful but also edible. They have a mild, cucumber-like flavor and can be used to garnish cocktails, candied, or made into decorative ice cubes.
8. Elderflower
The delicate and aromatic blossoms of the elder tree have a sweet, floral flavor with subtle citrus and honey notes. They also emit a pleasant, fragrant aroma that is reminiscent of springtime.
Recipes, Tips and Tricks: Greetings from Germany
Simon Kistenfeger @the_real_vikingo , global ambassador of Altos tequila, recently took a spring cocktails class and shared these tips and recipes with our Tahona Society Familia:
- Fresh strawberries are always a safe bet.
- Try cucumber mint cocktails paired with elderflower and Altos tequila.
- Prepare your lavender infusion with Altos Plata.
Altos Springtime Serenate
Ingredients
- 35ml ALTOS plata
- 20ml Cachaca
- 25ml fresh lime juice
- 20ml elderflower syrup
- 40ml cloudy apple juice
- Some rosemary sprigs and lime for garnish
Method
Shake vigorously, double strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with rosemary and lime.
Rhubarb Sour Twist
This is of the best-selling drinks at bar Mucho Amor Café & Bar in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany, even though it is not on the menu anymore:
Ingredients
- 30 ml Altos reposado
- 30 ml Amaretto
- 20 ml homemade rhubarb syrup (1 part freshly squeezed rhubarb, 1 part white cane sugar)
- 30 ml fresh lemon juice
- 1 egg white
- Mango/pineapple dust & angostura cocoa bitters for garnish
Method
Dry shake. Then add ice and shake vigorously. Garnish with mango/pineapple dust & angostura cocoa bitters.
Great Ideas for Spring from the US
Alicia Mendoza @mezcalicia_ , Agave Ambassador in the US, was happy to send great ideas for spring cocktails through! She added some thoughts on items that are relatively easy to find:
- Cherry Blossom Powder: A bright spring-in-your-step addition to a Paloma or Ranch Water.
- Jamaica: These hibiscus flowers look and taste like what we love about spring and remind us of warm days in Mexico.
- Coconut Water: An easy companion to a bright and refreshing agave cocktail, fabulous for spring.
- Mint: Working with the Kentucky Derby in the US for a cool crossover. Add an aged expression to the classic Mint Julep for the Cinco & Derby vibe.
- Jasmine tea syrup: A light, bright and elegant addition.
- Raspberries: I’m a sucker for a Clover Club with one of our agaves. It’s simple, soft, and perfect for a sunny spring day.
- Italicus: Playing into our portfolio with this stunner is a treat. Especially with the above (Clover Club).
- Peaches: Fresh, ripe peach paired with very gentle vanilla is a great way to put a spring in your cocktail.
Alicia is in the Midwest, Chicago. She says peak spring ingredients are:
- 1. Cherries: “You can make a gorgeous cherry sour.”
- 2. Strawberries: “I love a strawberry Paloma. Top with soda water & garnish with sage or basil.”
- 3. Apricots: “A spicy Apricot Margarita! I’ve learned that spice and apricots go so well together.”
- 4. Raspberries: “Gonna echo Clover Club!”
Feijoas Tommy’s Margarita: An Excellent Aussie Idea!
Jonathan Minihan @jonsminibar is the Brand Ambassador of Agave in Australia. As you know, it is autumn down under, but it was not a problem for Jonathan. Using a wonderful ingredient, feijoa, just hitting its prime, he decided to share an amazing recipe for a Feijoa Tommy’s Margarita!
Feijoa Margarita
Ingredients
- 60ml Altos Plata
- 20ml lime juice
- Bar Spoon Feijoas Jam (see recipe below)
- 5ml Agave syrup
- Half flake salt rim for garnish
To prepare the jam:
Sterilize the jars for the jam. Grate the peel and juice one lemon and add some chopped candy ginger (small handful). Then, peel the feijoas (about 15 of them, depending on size). Watch out: you can use the skins later for infusions!
Then, boil the feijoas with 2/3 cup of water on medium heat for 25 minutes and cook them until they start to break down. Add 400g sugar, lemon, and ginger and boil them for a further five minutes.
Feijoas are a wonderful and complex ingredient, providing some sweetness akin to sweetened aloe vera and the vibrancy of mint!
Method
Shake well all the ingredients and serve on the rocks.
“Your Clients Must Try the Magnolia Margarita: It Is Everywhere in L.A!”
Jennifer Oakley @mezcalfindsjenn , Brand Ambassador of Agave in the US, recommended we try Magnolia Margarita. The blossoms smell delightfully floral and are very fragrant, with a gingery quality to the flavor, with a slight bitterness. Actually, Magnolia Margarita is everywhere in Los Angeles right now!
Here is the recipe:
Magnolia Margarita
Ingredients
- 30 ml magnolia syrup
- 25 g magnolia flowers (unsprayed)
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 150 ml water
- 60 ml Altos Plata
- 30 ml lime juice
To prepare the syrup:
Strip the petals, add sugar and water to a pan, and place over low heat until the sugar is just dissolved. Add petals and leave uncovered to barely a simmer for 20 minutes. Strain through a sieve and leave to cool. Use 30 ml of the magnolia syrup in place of agave nectar for a margarita. A dash of orange bitters is a nice touch as well.
Method
Shake well all the ingredients and serve on the rocks.
