Grow It, Make It: Yarrow Syrup Summer Spritz
Summer is in full swing and so are the blossoms in our gardens. I love planting flowers within my vegetable garden beds because they not only attract much needed pollinators, they can also can bring in the beneficial insets to take care of pest control…and they can often offer a third bonus? When they’re edible too!
Enter Yarrow. These drought tolerant plants are not only checking all the boxes for necessary pollinators, they also can be used as a medicinal herb, infused into beverages or desserts and even added into your beauty routine. A powerhouse plant indeed. Today we’re going to start simple with a few tips on how to grow some of your own, harvest and a DIY infusion for a delicious summer beverage - I’ve included a spirited as well as a mocktail version for all summer refreshment needs. So let’s grow!
Yarrow Syrup Summer Spritz
SYRUP INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup fresh yarrow flower buds, leaves removed, stems trimmed and blooms cleaned
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
DIRECTIONS
In a sauce pan, add sugar and water. Bring to a simmer and stir until sugar dissolves.
Remove from heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes. In a clean, sterilized jar add clean yarrow flowers.
Pour simple syrup on top and allow to cool to room temperature before placing in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. After desired cool infusion, strain out all plant materials and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
COCKTAIL/MOCKTIAL INGREDIENTS
1/4 oz yarrow simple syrup
2 oz Amaro liquor (*Optional - see recommendations below)
Sparkling Water
Ice
DIRECTIONS
Add all ingredients to a glass and stir well, garnish with extra yarrow or other edible flowers (or fruit!) from your garden. Feel free to adjust proportions to your own taste - Cheers!
Grand Poppy Amaro from Greenbar Distillery works beautifully with this recipe. However, for a delicious mocktail, simply remove Amaro from the recipe or try one of the several non-alcholic options out there, I really love Ghia which most closely resembles Aperol or Campari.