Can we really celebrate Valentine’s Day without a yummy cocktail around here? Nope, don’t think so. Lucky for us our friend Alyson of Wild Folk Flower Apothecary, the natural cocktail connoisseur behind this cherry cocktail and this spiced apple cider creation, is here once again with a new libation to try. This one’s got cardamom, rose, and grapefruit, just in time for this most romantic day.
If you’re looking for a little something to really put you in the mood, this rose cardamom kissed cocktail is packed with aphrodisiacs. Rose is the star of the show, but not in that grandma’s rose kind of way. It’s soft and sultry combined with the warmth of cardamom, the lustfulness of passion fruit and the perfect bite from gin and bitters.
The rose was a no brainer for the flower to include in my Wild Folk cocktail for February. Roses have been recognized for thousands of years as the ultimate symbol of romantic love. The rose is a heart-opening, romance-inducing flower recognized most frequently for its amorous qualities, with its symbolism ranging from admiration, joy, deep love and security to a couple on their wedding day. So whether you’re amping up your self-love ritual this Valentine’s Day or you have a certain someone in mind to share this drink with, it’ll be hard not to fall under a love spell.
Love Spell
• 3 oz passion fruit juice
• 3 oz of Crater Lake Spirits gin
• 1.5 oz of cardamom simple syrup
• 5-10 dashes rose water
• 5-10 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters
• tonic water
• grapefruit and roses for garnish
Directions
Combine passion fruit juice, gin, cardamom simple syrup, rose water and bitters in a cocktail shaker and give it a few good shakes. Pour over ice. Top with tonic water. Garnish with a slice of grapefruit and a rose.
Cardamom Simple Syrup
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp (or more!) cardamom, decorticated (aka no pods)
Directions
In a small pot, add sugar and water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a low simmer and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add cardamom. Steep mixture for 30 minutes, then strain with a mesh strainer over a heat-proof jar or bowl, reserving the liquid.
Happy Valentine’s Day, Cakies! Check back each month for a new flower cocktail from Alyson!
Photography & Styling by Alyson Brown of Wild Folk Flower Apothecary
