Way too pretty to eat, but you totally can! Brighten up your drinks or a jug of water with beautiful flavoured ice cubes made with herbs and edible flowers.
Turning your herbs, edible flowers or even berries and other pieces of fruit into jewel-like ice cubes is one of the easiest and prettiest ways to add panache to any drink. Not only will the flowers (or other bits) add a splash of colour, but as the flavoured ice cube melts, the flowers, herbs or fruit will infuse the drink with a subtle flavour.
How to make these frozen beauties
There are two important things to keep in mind when making these babies: firstly not every flower is edible (duh!) or eligible to infuse a flavoured ice cube, use flowers such as orchids, nasturtiums, roses, pansies, and snapdragons; and secondly be sure to avoid flowers and herbs that has been sprayed with an insecticide, fungicide or herbicide.
What you will need:
- Edible flowers, herbs, berries or pieces of fruit
- Ice tray (silicon works best)
- Water
How to:
- To ensure that your chosen flowers, herbs or fruit are suspended in the ice cubes, work in layers: Fill the ice tray with up to about a quarter with water, add your botanicals or fruit facing down, and freeze. Remove from the freezer, fill the ice tray half way, add more botanicals if you so choose, and freeze. Once frozen remove from the freezer, fill the ice tray to the top, and freeze again.
- For ice that’s especially clear, use distilled water that has been boiled and then cooled.
Why not put these beautiful and delicious ice cubes to good use by putting a fresh spin on a classic mojito or balancing out spicy zest of a Moscow Mule
Photography: Kleinjan Groenewald
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