With the “Flower Mixology”, petals and flowers increasingly protagonists as ingredients of cocktails

Essences and perfumes pour into cocktail glasses not only as a garnish, but also with infusions and tinctures: the “Flower Mixology”, a real world trend, invades the counters of the most important cocktail bars and the bartenders challenge each other with shots of flowers, petals and floral essences to create the most spectacular and spring drinks with the hashtag #garnishgame which has already exceeded 3 million contents on TikTok, many of which feature the worldwide hit soundtrack “Flowers” ​​by Miley Cyrus. And if even the famous US cookery show host Martha Stewart relaunches this trend, Alessia Bigolin, drink setter of Anthology by Mavolo, the Mavolo Beverages spin-off specializing in the importation and distribution of premium and ultra-premium beverages exclusively for the ‘Italia, explains how “edible petals and flowers give a unique complexity to the flavor of the cocktail and, thanks to their fragrance, complete the drink by offering a new experience of taste and pleasantness. They are also very versatile: they can be used with neutral spirits such as vodka, but they can also be combined with more aromatic ones such as gin”

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But these ingredients have always been used in the art of mixology thanks to their qualities of appearance, taste, consistency and aroma that best match the flavors of the spirits used, also allowing bartenders to dare and experiment with the most extravagant combinations.
What if the appointment for fans of the genre is with the “Herbal Factory” in the “Spices & Herbs Global Expo” at “Macfrut 2023” at the Rimini Expo Center (May 3-5)real with Spice Hall, officinal and aromatic herbs, including processing of herbs, sensory paths to recognize colors, scents, flavors of the main types of phytoderivatives and aromatic aperitifs with mixology and cocktails by barmen like Alex Toti and barlady like Mihaela Mahalean, the spirit advocate Alessia Bigolin and Mavolo Beverages have reworked the recipe of the historic “Bee’s Knees” with a signature cocktail based on Gin Melifera, lemon, honey and a garnish of immortelle that play subtle balances to give the drink a surprising aromatic complexity. A historical legend accompanies the “Bee’s Knees” since it had become the official cocktail of prohibition: at the time, in fact, gin was produced in a homemade and artisanal way and it was customary to combine ingredients such as citrus fruits and honey to cover the strong smell of alcohol so as not to be discovered.
The art of garnishing cocktails dates back to the 19th centurywhen top mixologists made flamboyant presentations by filling cobblers and juleps with chunks of fruit or lighting flaming orange peels. Inedible ornaments arrived after Prohibition with the advent of the tiki craze: paper umbrellas, swizzle sticks and doohickeys with the most unusual shapes they have transformed the blends of rum and vodka into colorful trendy drinks. Subsequently, the olive in the Martini and the cherry in the Manhattan were also joined by flowers and petals: first as simple garnishes and, subsequently, as key ingredients able to make them stand out by adding a touch of colour, character and style. The aesthetic impact, in fact, is only one aspect of the way in which flowers and petals can contribute to enriching and completing the cocktail: since then, garnishes have gone from mere finishing touches to key ingredients in many drinks, making them stand out by adding a pop of colour, character and flair. In fact, it is possible to use them through infusions, syrups, tinctures and fermentations that allow the transformation and preservation of spring scents in various uses in modern mixology.

The “floral” cocktails to sip to celebrate spring signed by Anthology by Mavolo and Alessia Bigolin
Bee’s Knees
5cl Gin Melifera
2 cl lemon juice
1.5 cl honey water
An immortelle flower as a garnish

Aviation Cocktails
4 cl Deux Frerés
1.5 cl fresh squeezed lemon juice
1.5 cl maraschino
1 cl purple and smoke liqueur Dennis Zoppi line

French 75
6 cl Jeeper Grand Assemblage Champagne
3cl Gin Soero
1.5 cl fresh lemon juice
1.5 cl of sugar syrup

cherry blossom
3,5 cl Tequila Silver Don Ramon
3cl lime juice
3 cl grapefruit juice
0.75 of grenadine
Slice of grapefruit or maraschino cherry for garnish
salt

Mezcal Pineapple Sour
4.5cl Noble Coyote Espadin
1.5 cl fresh pineapple juice
2 cl lemon juice
2 cl Don Ramon agave syrup
1 egg white

The Garden Rose
8cl The Hakuto Gin
3 cl rose sugar syrup
5 cl fresh lemon juice
5 slices of cucumber
A pinch of soda

Bramble
5cl Saneha Gin
2.5 cl fresh lemon juice
1.25 cl sugar syrup
1,5 cl Crème de Mûre

Margarita Iba
5 cl Tequila Don Ramon Plata 100% Agave
2cl Triple Sec
1 cl fresh lime juice