Scented Roses
Roses are one of my all time favourite flowers, the smell alone is enough to catapult them into my top five and the fact that they are also beautiful and edible - win win!
With their subtle yet fragrant taste they are ideal for a refreshing summery drink.
You can use rose water which is readily available, but if you fancy making your own rose syrup I highly recommend it.
When it comes to using any edible flowers you really want to be picking these from your own garden, or a friend's or neighbour's where you can be sure that they are pesticide free. Never use shop bought roses as they will likely have been sprayed with all sorts of nasties.
You will also need to make sure you choose highly scented roses, you will only get that delicious taste with a fragrant variety. So of course the best way to check that - give them a good smell!
If you are looking to add roses to your garden then David Austin would always be my first choice, Hero and The Generous Gardener are personal favourites.
Rose Syrup
A simple syrup is made using 1 part sugar with 1 part water, then stirred until the sugar has dissolved on a low to medium heat without allowing it to boil.
For the rose syrup I used:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup rose petals
Take care when picking any edible flowers and only use them if you are sure that they are safe for you to eat.
Once you have picked your roses, gently wash and dry them and pluck the flowers.
I have trialled two ways of making a rose water simple syrup. Both on the heat and infused. For a stronger taste add your rose petals to the sugar syrup whilst on the heat. The colour and flavour will be a little more intense.
Alternatively you can make your sugar syrup and once it has cooled a little add your rose petals and allow to steep.
If you have infused the roses on the heat you can strain once cooled, if you have added them after heating I would leave for around 6 hours. But give it a taste to see how its coming along.
Leave to cool and it's ready to use!
You can either add vodka to your syrup which will help to preserve it. For my heat infused syrup I added the same quantity again of vodka.
It should keep for 2 - 3 weeks.
The Recipe
When it comes to recipes I rarely follow them to the letter! I think half the fun in making something is creating your own interpretation and I invite you to do the same.
Rose syrup has a lot of sugar in it, personally I don’t like a cocktail to be too sweet so for me adding the rose water syrup and vodka separately allows me to get the balance right. If you are using rose water you can omit the sugar syrup entirely if you prefer.
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Ingredients
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Vodka
Rose simple syrup or rose water
Lemon Verbena or lemon rind
Tonic (I prefer Fever Tree which allows you to really appreciate that hint of rose)
Ice
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Method
1 - 2 shots of vodka
1/2 to 1 shot of rose syrup or 1tsp rose water
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Or
1 shot of rose syrup vodka
Pour into a glass over ice, add a sprig of lemon verbena (or a lemon rind curl) and top with tonic.
For a non alcoholic version you may prefer to use lemonade. For a more alcoholic version you can use a prosecco!
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Easy! Super refreshing and perfect for a summers day.
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Enjoy.
Chloé X
Chloé Makes Cocktails!
Hi I’m Chloé! If we don’t know each other yet I’m an interior designer who just happens to love making cocktails.
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Below I share a few of my favourites, all of which can be enjoyed with or without alcohol. Add an edible flower or two, a vintage glass and of course a beautifully styled space and you’re all set!
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You can find out more about my interior design services below.
