Redbud Sour

A lovely floral cocktail recipe that can be used with any edible flower in season.  This is a blush pink cocktail that is easy on the eyes and goes down with a subtle sweet floral flavour. A great spring/summer sipping cocktail with a hint of citrus and with just the right amount of sweet.

This is the second cocktail I have on the blog that is floral. My first was using sorrel or hibiscus in Trinidad and I have to say It got me hooked on making floral based syrups and finding uses for them.

I do miss the beauty of the flowers, fauna and trees in Trinidad quite a lot. There was a time and season for all of them. I miss the bright and fantastic bougainvillea, flamboyant and  the poui trees that would light the hills on fire with their bright colours. What a site. We have some beauties here in Canada that I missed while living away and happy to see again too.  Redbud trees are among some of my favourite trees. Lilac and magnolias are definitely on the list.

I actually never knew that redbud trees even existed in Ontario. I found out that they were edible through Bella’s blog post and recipe on her blog Ful-Fillled of her Redbud & Lemon Cornmeal Loaf Cake. It’s such a beautiful tree with the loveliest flowers. Just like lilacs and magnolia though, the flowers disappear in a blink. By the time I realized that my parents front yard tree was a redbud, I had just enough time to pick what I needed to make one batch of this syrup. Apologies for the late post (posting when all the blooms are gone) The good news is this recipe can be applied to all edible flowers. The colour of course may vary but this is a very good and adaptable recipe for any floral syrup using elderflower, lilac and even rose.

The syrup can be used in baked goods too and in virgin cocktails or tonics adding some colour and some floral flavour to them. I made a very similar lilac syrup to use in a cake glaze the other day and I can’t wait to share that with you guys tomorrow.  Hope you enjoyed this post if even just for the pretty pink hues of the cocktail or the beautiful blooms. If you feel adventurous give the recipe a try with any edible flower in season at the moment where you live.

Recipe

For the cocktail

Ingredients

• 1½ oz Canadian whisky (more or less according to taste)
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 2 oz redbud syrup - if out of season replace with any other edible flower like elderflower, rose or lilac (recipe below)
• 1 oz maple syrup.
• Ice
• Lemon slices and Redbud Flowers to garnish

Directions

1. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add the Canadian whisky, lemon juice, redbud syrup, maple syrup.
2. Shake well and strain into a glass filled with ice.
3. Garnish with a slice of lemon and redbud flowers.

For the Redbud Syrup

Ingredients

• 2 ounces freshly picked redbud flowers rinsed and strained with the debris or bugs removed.
• 4 cups water
• Approx ⅓ cup sugar or more depending on weight (see directions)
• Juice one lemon if needed (see note below)

Directions

1. Place the flowers in a medium sized pot along with the water and bring it to a boil on high heat.
2. Once boiling, remove from the heat and cover. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight.
3. Pour into a jar or bowl through a fine sieve to remove the flowers.
4. Weigh the remaining redbud-infused water and add an equal amount of sugar (by weight).
5. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
6. Cook until desired thickness is reached. At about 25 minutes it will still be thin, but great for cocktails.
7. Keep it going another ten minutes or so for a thicker syrup.
8. Once cooled, store in refrigerator for up to 2 week in a sealed jar or bottle

Recipe Notes

If using redbud flowers and you notice your syrup turning yellow-green while boiling squeeze in the lemon juice and see the syrup turn pink instantly - it’s kitchen science at it’s best and has something to do with PH

Adapted from LCBO and Cupcake Project