Sip and Savor Cocktails from the Garden

One of the fantastic things about gardening is that once summer arrives, you can (hopefully) take a break from the planting and weeding and truly enjoy the beautiful space you’ve created. Sweep off the patio then invite some friends over to sit and relax while enjoying the view. Maybe one way to relax is by making a cool summery cocktail like one of these using flowers from your garden?! NGB Member and flower breeding company Benary has created a few simple cocktail recipes to help get you there faster and easier.  Enjoy!

BIG Begonia Pink Lady Cocktail

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. Gin
• .75 oz. Applejack Brandy
• 2 oz. Lemonade
• .25 oz. Grenadine
• .25 oz. Fresh Lemon juice

Directions:

Fill the cocktail shaker with ice and all ingredients. Shake with carefree exuberance for at least 10 seconds (while you water that BIG Begonia?!). Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an edible BIG Begonia bloom, preferably a pink one!

BIG Begonia Beer

Ingredients:

• A good Pilsner beer, chilled
• BIG Begonia flowers

Directions:

Make a flower tea by adding BIG Begonia flowers to boiling water in a saucepan or tea kettle and steep for 3-10 minutes. Chill the tea.

In a pint glass, add about 1.5-2 oz. of chilled BIG Begonia tea and pour pilsner beer over the tea. Garnish with a BIG Begonia bloom – Enjoy!

Funky Pink Champagne

Ingredients:

• Brut champagne or Cava sparkling wine, chilled
• POM Pomegranate Juice, chilled
• Fresh lime
• Granulated sugar
• Fresh Pomegranate seeds
• Funky Begonia flowers

Directions:

Run a slice of lime around the rim of champagne flutes. Dip glass in granulated sugar. Add sparkling wine to flutes. Top with a float of pomegranate juice. Add a spoonful of pomegranate seeds. Garnish with a blossom of a Funky Begonia.

Nonstop Joy Mocca White

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. Vodka
• 2 oz. Kahlua
• 2 oz. Coconut Milk (from a can)

Directions:

Add ice to an old-fashioned cocktail glass. Layer ingredients in the order listed above to mimic the look of Nonstop Joy Mocca White begonias!

For more fun ways to use BIG Begonias in your home and garden, check out this fun BIG Begonia brochure!

When creating your garden cocktails with begonia and other edible flowers, make sure you use flowers that have not been sprayed with pesticides.

 

“This post is provided as an educational/inspirational service of the National Garden Bureau and our members. Please credit and link to National Garden Bureau and author member when using all or parts of this article.”

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