MY DARLING CLEMENTINI - An Edible Calundula Flower and Citrus Cocktail
Edible flowers are a beautiful way to garnish a cocktail but they can also a great way to flavor one as well. Every spring I grow organic, edible flowers for creating spring and summer cocktail recipes and Calendulas are always the most robust of my plantings. When I recently picked up a huge bag of Clementine oranges from the local farmers market the first thing I decided to make was a floral cocktail featuring these beautiful, bright yellow flowers. When I got home I grabbed my juicer, my garden shears and also my bottle of homemade limoncello liqueur* and some triple sec to round out the citrus base and got to mixing up a new drink recipe.
Calundula petals have a spicy taste of pepper with a little touch of tang and bitterness which not only brought in floral notes but added the quality of a few drops of bitters so I not only garnished the cocktail with a Calendula blossom I also infused the simple syrup with some of the petals to bring in that peppery zing.
MY DARLING CLEMENTINI
COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS
1-1/2 Oz. Limoncello
1/2 Oz. Triple Sec
2 Oz. Fresh Clementine Orange Juice
1 Tsp. Calendula Simple Syrup
(* Recipe Below)
Dash of Orange Bitters
Garnish: Long Clementine Twist, Edible Calendula Petals
Tools: Juicer, Vegetable Peeler, Cocktail Shaker
Glass: Cocktail (Martini)
DIRECTIONS
Make the Calundula Simple Syrup and juice the Clementines.
Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until well chilled.
Stain into the chilled cocktail glass, garnish with the Clemetine twist, a Calundula flower and a few extra Calundula petals.
Serve and enjoy on a beautiful spring evening.
CALENDULA SIMPLE SYRUP
RECIPE
Ingredients:
2 C. Turbinado or Demerara Sugar
1 C. Water
Petals from 3 Calundula Flowers
Directions:
Add the petals to a non-reactive bowl and set aside.
Heat the sugar and water on medium while stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.
Pour this immediately over the petals and allow to infuse until completely cooled.
Strain into a sterile, lidded glass jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
If the syrup crystallizes you can heat it up to remove the sugar crystals.
