This spring, bachelorette parties, baby showers, and bridal showers abound. If you’re on deck for party planning, borrow this trick to dazzle your guests. Because what’s more fun than baby roses bobbing in your rosé?
I hesitate to classify this as a recipe, because it’s really a treat for the eyes. But there is a bit of strategy required to execute the most perfect flower ice.
Ideally the ice would be completely clear, but that’s a little more difficult to achieve than you might imagine. What makes ice cloudy? Ice freezes from the outside in, so the air and impurities are trapped in the center, preventing the ice from being crystal clear.
If you want to make a hobby out of clear ice—all my serious bartender-types out there—this article explains how. But, I settled for distilled water, which I then boiled.
Get creative with different ice cube shapes and flower types, and let me know what you dream up! Cheers!
And if you want more ideas to jazz up a summer party, check out Pinterest's Summer Entertaining Report, brimming with brilliant ideas and trends.
Food La La Recipe: Flower Ice
Materials:
- 1 gallon distilled water, boiled then cooled to room temperature (WHY? #1)
- Organic flowers (I used a mix of baby sweetheart roses, and edible wild flowers that Whole Foods sometimes carries in the fresh herb section).
- Large-square silicon ice cube trays
- Stem-less glasses
- Cupcake tin
- Wine corks
Steps:
Flower Ice Cubes:
- Fill silicon ice cube trays almost to the top with water.
- Trim baby roses so stem is no longer than 1” and arrange 2-3 in each cube (they will float, but I love how the flowers look, popping out of the ice).
- Freeze until hard.
- Fill glass with libation of choice, and float 1-2 ice cubes on top. Serve immediately.
Flower Wedge Ice:*
- Lay a wine cork in each cupcake hole.
- Place your stem-less glass in cupcake hole so it’s balancing on the cork, and tilted at about a 45-degree angle.
- Gently pour in 1/2 cup water (in each glass), add a few flowers, and freeze.
- Add another 1/2-3/4 cup water, and more flowers, and freeze again. (Unlike the ice cubes described above, this method will freeze the flowers in layers so they don’t all float to the top.)
- Before your party, remove glasses and gently wipe the outside with a wet cloth so you can melt the frost and clearly see the ice and flower petals.
- Fill other half of glass with rosé, lemonade, or iced tea. Serve immediately.
Psst! Some recipe notes:
WHY? #1: If the water is still warm, it will cook the flowers and they’ll look withered in your ice.
Note: I tried the wedge ice method with a very thin Riedel stem-less glass, and it cracked, so use a thicker glass.
*Thank you Ellen for this brilliant idea!
