Spring is the season of rebirth and renewal, so there’s no better time to tap into emerging mixology trends. Herb-infused cocktails and mocktails garnished with beautiful edible flowers are a great way to make your drink menu stand out from the crowd.
The arrival of spring means shoving your heavy winter jackets, thick sweaters, and clunky boots deep into your closet. Warmer days filled with more sunshine and lighter moods call for refreshing drinks with unique twists that taste good, look great, and are healthy – no need to tap into guilty pleasures. To celebrate the end of seasonal depression, let’s take a look at some of the health and aesthetic benefits of adding edible flowers and herbs to your cocktails and mocktails.
Flower Power
Flowers are synonymous with spring, and infusing your refreshing drinks with edible pieces of the season will elevate your menu items beyond just taste. In today’s ultra-competitive space, good quality and great flavor profiles may not cut it – it helps when offerings are visually stunning, too.
Research shows that Gen Zers in particular love trendy and aesthetically pleasing drinks, so adding this simple garnish will automatically make your cocktails and mocktails ultra-Instagrammable. As Gen Zers are influenced by viral online trends, having your drinks menu garner an attractive social media presence will also appeal to a wider audience and guarantee return business. You can take it a step further by making a conscious effort to theme your flower garnishes around springtime blooms like violets and pansies – a small detail that can result in a big reward.
Herb Health
Herbs are an underutilized garnish for cocktails and mocktails, and not just for their pleasant aromas and tastes. Many have subtle health benefits that can entice consumers, taking your drinks from average to trendy. Gen Z and millennials are gravitating toward healthier drink options, including ones with low ABV and low calories, so building your menu with this health-conscious attitude in mind is sure to make it pop. Get inspired utilizing Ascend® juices and mixers to form the base of your drinks.
Ultra-aromatic basil, for example, isn’t just for sprinkling over pizzas or being ground into pesto. It’s also delicious in a zesty lemon-based drink, and it contains nutrients and compounds that can help stave off chronic diseases. Thyme, in particular, is rich in vitamins A and C, while tarragon is often used to treat digestive issues. Get creative with your pairings and choose the herbs that have the best tastes and health benefits to infuse into your cocktails and mocktails.
Good Herb Etiquette
When purchasing herbs to use for your drinks, put a premium on the freshest ones. For the freshest, farm-supplied herbs that add pizzaz to beverages, look to Peak Fresh Produce®. Dried herbs often lose some nutrients and flavor compounds during the drying process, so they could end up being lackluster in cocktails. Fresh is always best, but it’s important to use them sparingly.
When it comes to using fresh over dry herbs, use one-and-a-half times the amount of fresh as you would dry – fresh herbs are packed with so much more flavor that they would be otherwise overwhelming in your drinks.
