Make Blossom Ice Cubes

For your next party, try dressing up your drinks with lovely blossom ice cubes. Featuring the blooms from edible flowers, the cubes can add color and whimsy to even a simple glass of water. Best of all, they're incredibly easy to make so you can wow your guests without breaking a sweat.

Steps

Preparing the Flowers, Water, and Tray

  1. Rinse and dry the blossoms. Before placing the flowers in the ice tray, you should wash away any dirt, bugs, or other debris that might be on the petals. Fill a bowl with cool water and carefully dip the flowers in to rinse them clean. Set them out on a clean towel to dry for 30 minutes to an hour.[1]
    • It’s especially important to rinse the flowers if you’ve picked them yourself. If you’ve purchased edible flowers for a store or website, they’ve likely already been rinsed. However, it’s a good idea to rinse them yourself to be sure that all of the dirt is removed.
  2. Boil the water that you’ll use for the ice. You want your ice cubes to be as clear as possible so the blooms stand out. Start with distilled water so the impurities have been removed, and place it in a saucepan. Heat the water on the stove at high heat until it comes to a boil, and then allow the water to boil for 2 to 3 minute.[2]
    • The amount of water that you’ll need to boil depends on how many ice cubes you plan to make. Add water to the tray until they’re full and dump it directly into the saucepan to ensure that you have enough.
  3. Allow the water to cool. You shouldn’t add the boiled water to the ice tray right after you remove it from the stove. Instead, let the water sit for approximately 20 to 30 minutes or until it’s cooled completely to avoid imperfections in the finished ice cubes.[2]
  4. Wash the ice cube tray. Before you add the flowers and water to the ice tray, you should clean the tray to ensure that dirt and debris don’t wind up in your ice cubes. Rinse the tray with cool water and dishwashing soap, and wipe out each compartment with a clean kitchen towel or piece of paper towel.[2]
    • Silicone ice trays are usually the best option when making blossom ice cubes. It’s easier to remove the cubes from the tray without breaking them because the tray is flexible.
    • If possible, use a tray that has larger compartments. If your finished ice cubes are large, they’ll melt more slowly in drinks.

Making the Ice

  1. Place the flowers face down in the tray. When the tray is clean and the flowers are dry, start placing the blossoms in the compartments. Set the flowers in face down so they’ll be visible at the top of the finished ice cubes.[2]
    • The flowers may shift slightly during melting, so you shouldn’t worry about placing them perfectly in the tray.
    • Depending on the size of the flowers, you may want to add one blossom to each compartment or several. If you’re using more than one type of edible flower, you can also mix them in the compartments for more colorful ice cubes.
  2. Add water to the tray to just cover the flowers and freeze the cubes until solid. With the blossoms in place, pour a small amount of the cooled water into tray’s compartments over the flowers. You want to add just enough water to cover the blossoms. Place the tray in the freezer and freeze until the ice is solid, which should take 30 minutes to 1 hour.[2]
    • When you add the water, the tray’s compartments should be approximately ¼ of the way full.
    • Pour the water into the tray slowly to avoid disrupting the flowers too much.
  3. Add more water to fill the tray halfway and freeze it again. When the first layer of ice is frozen solid, remove the tray from the freezer. Pour more of the water into the tray, stopping when the compartments are halfway full. Return the tray to the freezer and allow the ice to freeze until solid again, which should take another 30 minutes to 1 hour.[2]
  4. Repeat the process twice more to completely fill the tray. Once the second layer of ice is solid, remove the tray from the freezer again and repeat the process two more times. First, add enough water to fill the compartments ¾’s of the way full. Once that layer is frozen, top the compartments off with water so they’re completely full and freeze a final time.[2]
    • Each of the final two freezing periods should take approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  5. Remove the cubes from the tray and add them to drinks. When the final layer of ice is frozen solid, remove the tray from the freezer. Carefully remove the ice cubes from the tray by twisting or tapping it against the counter to loosen them. Add the blossom ice cubes to beverages before serving.[2]
    • If you don’t plan to use the ice right away, store it in an airtight container in the freezer.
    • The blossom ice cubes will add a slightly floral flavor to whatever drink you add them to, so keep that in mind when you’re choosing a beverage to pair them with. Water, lemonade, and cocktails that feature floral liqueurs usually work best.

Selecting the Flowers

  1. Choose organically-grown edible flowers. To avoid getting sick, it’s important to use edible flowers in your ice cubes. Fortunately, there are several varieties of flowers that are safe to eat. You should still select organic edible flowers, though, to ensure that they haven’t been treated with chemicals.[1]
    • Honeysuckle, violas, and pansies have a sweet flavor, and are completely edible.
    • Violets have a sweet to sour flavor, and are completely edible.
    • Nasturtium has a peppery flavor, and is completely edible.
    • If you can’t find edible flowers in the herb section of your local grocery store or your own garden, you can order them from a variety of online shops.
  2. Pay attention to the size of the blossoms. When you’re choosing flowers to add to your ice cubes, it’s important to consider how large the blossoms are. For the best looking ice cubes, you want to use the largest possible blossom that will fit inside the ice tray’s compartments.[3]
    • If you don’t have flowers that are large enough to fill most to the compartment, you can use several smaller blossoms for maximum impact.
  3. Pick the flowers at the right time. If you’re picking the edible flowers for the ice cubes yourself, you want to harvest them when they’re at the peak of their flavor. Pick the flowers either early in the day before 10 am or later in the day after the sun has gone down. The blossoms will be cool and have the best flavor.[1]
    • Avoid any flowers that are wilted or have noticeable marks or blemishes on the petals.

Tips

  • Using a tray that makes the cubes in unique shapes, such as hearts, stars, or flowers, can make your ice even more special.
  • For a large punch bowl, use a ring-shaped cake tin instead of a ice cube tray. Fill it in quarterly increments as you would with a tray, but add flowers each time you add water so there will be blooms throughout the ice.

Warnings

  • If you’re unsure whether a plant is edible or not, do not eat it.
  • If you believe that you have ingested a poisonous plant, call your local poison control center immediately.

Things You’ll Need

  • Edible flowers
  • An ice cube tray
  • A saucepan

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://www.today.com/home/easy-tips-make-your-own-floral-ice-cubes-t100986
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 http://www.tablespoon.com/posts/how-to-make-edible-flower-ice-cubes/b962b25a-bf43-4228-9bf8-41655536c6d3
  3. ↑ http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/flower-ice-cubes/
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