Tag: gartending

How to Muddle the Perfect Pitcher of Sangria – Garden Therapy
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Fresh fruit and wine belong together. Sangria mixes dry wine with the sweet taste of seasonal fruit and creates the perfect drink to share with a group of friends in the backyard. Learn how to make sangria that tastes like the summer sun with this simple recipe.

The search for the perfect summer drink is a never-ending journey. And one that I am happy to embark on! I’ve treated myself to homemade herbal cocktails all the way to homemade ginger ale. But this time around, I wanted to go with the Spanish classic: sangria.

Sangria is incredibly easy to make. So many cocktails these days require obscure liqueurs and ingredients you will only use once. Sangria, however, uses just wine and brandy and a myriad of delicious fruits to create a delight for the tastebuds. Plus, fruit makes it healthy…right?

At least that’s what I’ll tell myself while I’m sipping some sweet sangria!

Here’s what you need to know…

I like lots of fruit in my sangria!

What is Sangria?

Originally from Spain, it is the Spanish term for mixing fruit and wine. Popular in Europe for centuries, the drink has ties to the Middle Ages. Since water was unhealthy to drink, people drank fermented beverages as they had a lower risk of causing illness. People would mix wine with spices such as cinnamon. While their version of “sangria” would taste very different from the drink we know today, it sure has stood the test of time.

Red wine sangria made its way over into American popularity when the drink was served at the Spanish World area during the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. Now, you can purchase ready-made sangrias, but there’s nothing like making your own at home.

You can use red, white, rose, or sparkling wine as your base, but red is the most traditional way of enjoying sangria. Most choose a dry red wine as their base, as the fruits and soda will make the drink sweeter. Once you have your wine, you add in some brandy or rum, your favourite fruits, and some spices if you feel like getting extra creative.

Many wine snobs turn their noses up at sangria, but I really think they’re missing out. It’s meant to be a refreshing and fun drink, best served in a pitcher for sharing with friends.

Feeling fancy? Garnish your sangria with fresh mint or stevia.

What Fruits Can I Put in Sangria?

Let your imagination go wild! Practically every version of sangria you order from a bar or have in a friend’s backyard consists of different fruits. Personally, I like to use whatever is in season, whether that is picking fruit from my backyard or grabbing some from the weekend farmer’s market.

Another good method is choosing to add fruits where the flavours are already present in the wine. Hint hint, read the label of the wine bottle.

Slices of orange and lemon are fairly common to see, with the citrus flavours notable in the sangria after soaking. Want to change it up? Why not go with a berry theme, including raspberries, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, and blackberries. Tropical is also popular, using mango, peaches, pineapple, and more.

When adding fruit to your sangria recipe, it’s nice to let it sit and marinate in the drink overnight if possible. The wine will take some of the fruity flavour and the fruit also soaks up some of the wine for a tasty adult treat while sipping.

Cut up your fruit as small to make it easy to muddle and eat later on.

How to Make Sangria

Before we jump into this red wine sangria recipe, it should be noted that wine has an average ABV (alcohol by volume) content of 11.6%. When spiked with brandy, you are going to have a higher alcohol content.

Depending on how much soda you add and how much ice has melted, the drink can also be diluted. But let this be your warning that this drink packs a little more punch and will be stronger than the average glass of wine!

Ingredients

Refer to the recipe card for exact measurements. Makes a large 4L Mason jar.

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- Apples
- Peaches
- Strawberries
- Mangoes
- Lemons, limes, and/or oranges
- Lemon-lime soda
- Red wine
- Brandy or rum
- Ice
Mango gives it a tropical, luxurious taste.

Make it!

Get slicing and chop all your fruit. This recipe uses apples, peaches, strawberries, mangoes, lemons, limes, and oranges, but feel free to use whichever fruit you desire.

Add as much or as little fruit as you like. Personalize it to your taste preference.

Cut your fruit into 1’ pieces and leave all the skin on the fruit (with the exception of mango). For the citrus fruit, cut into half-moon slices.

Put your fruit directly in your sangria pitcher.

Layer your fruit into your 4L Mason jar or pitcher. Add some lemon juice to the fruit that can brown such as the apples.

Pour in your lemon-lime soda and then add in the red wine. I like to use a dry, fruity, and inexpensive red wine for my sangria recipe as all the additives will sweeten it up.

You don’t need a fancy or expensive wine since you’re adding so much other sugars and flavour.

Stir your drink with a long wooden spoon. Push down on the fruit to muddle it as you go.

Muddle the fruit by squishing it with the wooden spoon to release more of the flavour.

Add in your brandy or rum, stir, then muddle again.

Add in your ice and get ready to serve. A ladle works well to help scoop up the fruit!

The fruit will soak up some of the alcohol, making it a delicious treat at the end of every glass.

FAQ About Making Sangria

Why is the drink called sangria?

The name sangria comes from the Spanish word “sangre” which translates to blood. This likely comes from the bright red hue of the drink when made with red wine.

What is the best wine for sangria?

You can make wine out of any wine, including red, white, rose, and sparkling. Most traditional sangria is made using red wine. Choose something dry rather than sweet, as the fruits, brandy, and soda will sweeten it up.

What brandy is best for sangria?

If you want to have the best traditional sangria, you will want to use a Spanish brandy made with Spanish grapes. However, I don’t get too fussy about the quality of wine and brandy for my sangria since the added soda and fruit give even more flavour.

While brandy is traditional, you can also use an orange liqueur such as Triple Sec or Grand Marnier.

More Delicious Drink Recipes:
Red Wine Sangria

Get the taste of summer with this pitcher of sangria made from red wine and seasonal fruits.

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time5 minutes

Total Time20 minutes

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Spanish

Keyword: red wine, sangria

Servings: 1 4L Mason jar

Calories: 442kcal

4L Mason jar

Wooden spoon

Ladle

1-2 apples

1-2 peaches

2 cups strawberries

2 large mangoes

3-4 lemons, limes, and/or oranges

350 ml lemon-lime soda

750 ml red wine fruity, dry, and inexpensive

½ cup brandy or rum

Ice

Cut your fruit into 1″ pieces. Leave the skin on except for the mangoes. Cut the citrus into half-moon slices.

Layer your fruit in the Mason jar. Add lemon to the fruit that may brown.

Pour in the lemon-lime soda followed by the wine. Stir with the wooden spoon and muddle the fruit as you go.

Pour in the brandy or rum. Stir and muddle again.

Add ice. Use a ladle to serve and scoop the fruit with.

Serving: 1glass | Calories: 442kcal
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Stephanie Rose

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August 7, 2024
Make Naturally Bright Blue Butterfly Pea Flower Tea – Garden Therapy
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When friends come over to the garden in the summer, they get a treat for their eyes and taste buds when I pour a glass of butterfly pea flower iced tea. The dried flowers may not look like much when they come from the herb store, but the pretty blue flowers are eye candy in the garden and in the glass. Learn how to brew a cup of butterfly pea flower tea, all the wonderful health benefits, and why I can’t get enough of this true blue flower.

You may have seen this buzzy word on some menus from trendy eateries and bars. Many chefs and bartenders have recently discovered the love of this electric blue flower and just how fun it is to play with in food and drinks.

I pretty much consider butterfly pea flower tea a unicorn drink. The end result is typically a bright blue drink that will wow anyone who takes a sip. After all, you eat and drink with your eyes first!

The brilliant blue colour that comes from steeping the flowers in tea looks like it comes from food colouring more than a herb, but the anthocyanin in it becomes abundantly clear when you add acidic lemon juice, and it turns yet another eye-catching colour: purple!

While many use the flower solely for its edible dye qualities, the flower has many health benefits and traditional uses. Let’s learn more about this seriously cool plant.

The flower is also used as a blue dye.

Meet the Butterfly Pea Flower

Butterfly pea flowers come from the plant scientifically known as Clitoria ternatea. And yes, it is named that due to its resemblance to part of the female body. Some also know the plant by the name Asian pigeonwings.

From the Fabaceae (legume and pea) family, it’s a herbaceous perennial that grows as a vine. The flowers are a vivid blue with yellow markings, though some of the flowers are white. Most often, they are grown as an ornamental in addition to their dye properties.

While butterfly pea flower may be a trendy drink, it’s been around for a long, long time. The plant is native to southeast Asia and can be found in places such as Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

The flower and its dye is popular in Thai and Malaysian cuisines, commonly used in the sticky rice dessert pulut inti and puddings. Malaysians also use it to make the dish Nasi Kerabu, a blue rice. Overall, the flower is valued mostly for the blue hue rather than the flavour.

In India, the butterfly pea flower is considered holy and part of the daily puja rituals. The plant is also traditionally used for dyeing, cosmetics, and cooking.

What the plant may be most known for, however, is butterfly flower tea!

Butterfly pea flowers are often used dried for dye purposes.

Butterfly Pea Flower Benefits

I’ve become obsessed with butterfly pea flower tea. I drink it both hot and cold, on its own, and in other drinks such as yummy cocktails or lemonade. And luckily for me, the plant is so much more than a blue beauty.

Like other blue foods, the butterfly pea flower is high in anthocyanins, a type of antioxidant we are most familiar with in blueberries and red cabbage. These antioxidants are reported to be good for helping inflammation, heart health, and can even help boost mood.

Some consider butterfly pea flowers to be a natural nootropic. This means it can help with cognitive function. Traditional ayurvedic medicine uses the flower for calming and memory-boosting effects.

Some use the flower as natural paracetamol (acetaminophen) since it has antipyretic properties. It mimics that paracetamol by providing pain relief and helps to reduce a fever. People in Bali use the flower to treat eye ailments.

Overall, it’s a very safe edible flower that has few side effects. You can drink butterfly tea every day safely, though pregnant and lactating women should consult their doctor beforehand. Keep in mind that overconsumption of the flower can cause vomiting and diarrhea.

You don’t need to steep much of the flower to get a bright hue.

Butterfly Pea Flower Tea

Why not start the day off with electric blue? Traditionally known in Thailand as nam dok anchan, butterfly pea flower tea is used as a welcome drink at hotels and spas or as a nightcap at most homes. The drink is made with butterfly pea flower and lemongrass, with honey, lemon, mint, cinnamon, ginger, and passion fruit as optional flavours.

A herbal tea, it has zero caffeine and can be enjoyed morning or night, hot or cold. The taste of butterfly pea flower is more earthy and woody, resembling green tea even though it’s herbal. On its own, however, it is very mild and almost unnoticeable. It’s more for the eye candy!

Like you would any herbal tea, you can steep the whole flower to get the bright blue colour. The longer you steep, the deeper the colour will get.

Butterfly pea flowers don’t have a strong taste on their own.

How to Change Butterfly Pea Tea Colour

One of the coolest features of this tea is how suddenly it can change colour. As I mentioned, the flowers get their blue colour from anthocyanins. When steeped in water, they will turn the water a natural, vibrant blue.

However, you can easily change the colour of the tea to purple by adding some lemon juice. Anything acidic will change the pH and therefore the colour, just like hydrangeas!

You can even use these flowers to do a home soil pH test. I have a version of this test in my Garden Alchemy book, using cabbage water. Adding a spoonful of soil to the water and stirring will change the colour depending on your pH levels. Alchemy is so cool!

Lemon juice is a common acid used to turn the drink from blue to purple.

You can also add hibiscus leaves to turn the tea red. Many mixologists love to experiment with these fun colour-changing properties, creating all sorts of bright drinks. Try creating your own colour-changing cocktail or drink.

You can even freeze them as ice cubes and add them to lemonade to watch the colours change as the ice cube melts. This might be a fun one to do with floral ice cubes!

Hibiscus will change the colour to a deep pinky red.

Using Butterfly Pea Flower Tea

To use the dye in recipes, you can boil the flowers to extract their colour. The flowers will expand in the water, but you want to keep boiling until most of the colour is gone.

You will know when they’re done by removing the flower and giving them a squeeze. If no more colour comes out, it’s good to go. Now you can use this bright blue water as a dye, base for drinks, or in your cooking.

The longer the tea steeps, the deeper the blue will get.

Where to Buy Butterfly Pea Flower?

You likely won’t find these fabulous flowers on the typical grocery store shelf. You can buy the flower either in speciality food stores or online. They come as either full, dried flower buds or in powder form.

The other alternative is to grow them yourself! While native to tropical Asia, you can grow butterfly pea flowers in zones 9-10. They like full sun but can tolerate cool and moist climates. However, it must be frost-free. And since they’re a climber, you will want to make sure they have something to climb up such as a trellis.

Let me know if you try growing this delightful flower. I would love to know how it fairs where you live! And if you love the colour as much as I do, you’ll adore this post filled with 46 vibrant blue flowers you can grow at home!

Have fun playing with the vibrant colours this special tea can make!

FAQ About Butterfly Pea Flowers

Where can I buy a butterfly pea flower plant?

This plant, Clitoria ternatea, is a little tricky to find. Your best bet is probably to order seeds online from a reputable source. Ferri Seeds, based out of Ontario, sells them to the US and Canada.

What does butterfly pea flower taste like?

Butterfly pea flower on its own doesn’t have a strong taste when brewed in a tea. It does have a faint woodsy taste and is often paired with lemongrass, mint, lemon, and honey flavours.

Does butterfly pea flower make you sleepy?

Butterfly pea flower does not contain any caffeine, so it won’t keep you up. However, it isn’t specifically known as a sleepy-time herb like chamomile is.

More Posts About Edible Flowers:
Butterfly Pea Flower Tea

Create a fabulously blue drink or dye your food naturally with butterfly pea flowers.

Cook Time5 minutes

Total Time5 minutes

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: butterfly pea flower, tea

Servings: 1 serving

Calories: 10kcal

Butterfly pea flowers

Boiling water

Lemon juice optional

Hibiscus leaves optional

Make your butterfly pea flower tea by steeping petals in hot water. Add in honey, lemon, mint, cinnamon, ginger, or passion fruit for traditional optional flavours.

To change the colour from blue to purple, add some lemon juice. To change the colour to red, add in hibiscus leaves.

To use as dye, heat flowers in a pot of boiling water. Steep until most of the colour is gone. You can test this by removing a flower, giving it a squeeze, and making sure no more colour comes out.

Use the dye as a base for drinks or in your cooking to turn food blue naturally.

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 10kcal
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Stephanie Rose

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July 24, 2024
10 Simple Mocktails Inspired by the Garden – Garden Therapy

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At the end of a day in the garden or soaking in some sun, I love kicking my feet up and enjoying a refreshing drink. Sometimes, I just don’t want to add any alcohol. These simple mocktails are all favourites of mine, filled with complex flavour and herbal goodness!

Have you flipped to the mocktails or non-alcoholic section of a menu lately? You might be surprised how many amazing options there are.

Years ago, you might have only been able to find Shirley Temples. But now, you’ll find a list of elevated, well-thought-out, and well-balanced flavours. These mocktails can taste just as complex as their alcoholic counterparts.

Making mocktails at home can be a great way to explore new flavours without committing to buying many obscure liqueurs you might never drink again.

I lean into herbal mocktails, as I love the strong flavours from my garden. And how easy it is to pick from my garden and make a drink without shopping for more ingredients.

If you want some unique but simple mocktail ideas, keep reading for inspiration!

Non-Alcoholic Drink Lingo

Non-alcoholic drinks are on the rise! The demand is expected to grow by 25% between 2022 and 2026, coming primarily from younger generations, as Gen-Z drinks an average of 20% less than millennials.

Now, don’t get me wrong—I love cocktails. But sometimes, it’s nice to just enjoy the refreshing taste of a mocktail.

Mocktails have been around for a long time, and they try to replicate an existing alcoholic cocktail. They act as a substitute for those who want a non-alcoholic option but still want the drink’s flavour.

Zero proof is another term that’s rising in popularity, but it technically differs slightly from a mocktail. In terms of zero proof, it is its own unique drink and relies on non-alcoholic spirits to create stand-alone flavours.

Below, I’ll have both some simple mocktail and zero-proof recipes for you to try out!

Simple Mocktails Inspired by the Garden

My garden is full of herbs and flowers that serve double duty—they’re edible as well as beautiful. I make many of my drinks using fresh ingredients from my garden, but you can also source ingredients locally.

Lavender Lemonade

You either LOVE the floral taste of lavender or can’t stand it. I personally fall into the lover’s side and make many edible drinks and foods featuring lavender.

Lavender lemonade is quite simple to make. It consists of lavender syrup, lemon juice, and soda. If you want to enhance its botanical flavour, you can add a zero-proof gin.

For this recipe, you will want to use English lavender. Although many kinds of lavender are available, English lavender is the most common type used for culinary purposes.

Triple Berry Fizz

When it’s berry season, I guzzle up as many handfuls of sweet and plump berries that I can. What I love about this triple berry fizz recipe is that you can use whatever berries you have on hand and are in season. The recipe originally uses blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, but add whichever you like!

The original recipe also suggests adding rum. You can easily omit this by adding soda in its place or sparkling water for something less sweet. Also, feel free to experiment with zero-proof rum.

I would also suggest muddling the mint and the berries first to get maximum flavour! This drink is such a great non-alcoholic spritzer.

Non-Alcoholic Sangria

Sangria is one of the best drinks to have on hand at a BBQ, on the beach, or at any summer gathering. It’s simple to make a large batch and ensure everyone can enjoy some fruity goodness.

Traditional sangria uses brandy and wine combined with an array of fresh fruit pieces. You can adjust my sangria recipe by omitting the wine and brandy.

In place of the wine, there are many non-alcoholic wines you can use but grape juice (white or red) also tastes just as great in my opinion.

In place of the brandy, I recommend adding in a juice such as orange or peach.

The more fruit chunks you add, the better in my opinion!

Ginger and Mint Lemonade

I first made this ginger and mint lemonade recipe after I made my own ginger ale, but I wanted to elevate it a little more.

You might not think that ginger and mint would go together, but it has a spicy yet smooth and sweet taste that you just must try.

Ginger is great for the stomach, and even when combined with sugar to make syrup, it has a soothing quality. This unique mocktail idea is sure to impress and satisfy anyone who tries it.

In a cute bottle, this can also make a great hostess gift.

Homemade Root Beer

While traditional root beer isn’t originally alcoholic, many alcoholic versions of the beloved North American drink have emerged.

Sure, you can buy a pack of soda from the grocery store, but making your own root beer greatly elevates the taste. It’s less syrup and more taste!

The flavour is often hard for people to explain, as it’s made from a variety of different roots. Head to your local bulk store or apothecary to get the ingredients such as sarsaparilla, sassafras, licorice root, and burdock root. It’s SO worth it, I swear!

Rootbeer has a complex flavour profile that is enhanced when you make it yourself.

Sweet Violet Soda

This is a very special zero-proof recipe, as it’s one you won’t be able to find at any bar or store. Made using sweet violet, you’ll likely have to forage for yourself.

Violets are tiny purple flowers that dot many lawns in fields, especially in the spring. Some think of them as weeds, but I think of them as a cute edible wildflower.

While you can make this as simply a violet soda, I recommend adding to the flavour with a zero-proof gin or infused/flavoured vodka.

Pickled Shishito Pepper Bloody Mary

Pivoting from the sweet drinks, this take on the Bloody Mary is one packed full of flavour. I have tons of fun coming up with new toppers for my Bloody Marys (or Ceasars for my fellow Canadians), and they usually come from whatever is currently growing in my garden.

But shishito peppers have always been one of my favourite toppers. They’re mildly spicy and tangy and, once pickled, have that vinegary taste many of us adore.

You can see how I pickled my shishito peppers here, as well as my Bloody Mary recipe. Just omit the vodka, and you’ll still have a delicious tomato taste.

I’ve also used grilled cherry tomatoes as a tasty Bloody Mary topper.

Moonlight Mojito

If you grow mint, you know how prolific this plant is. In fact, it grows so quickly and so much that it’s recommended that you only plant it in pots so it doesn’t take over your whole garden.

To use up my large supply of mint, I make lots of mojitos. They’re so refreshing in the summer and can be made in so many different ways with fruity additions.

For my moonlight mojito, I add fresh ginger and lemon. The recipe is in this post. Just omit the dark rum and replace it with soda water or a zero-proof option for a simple but refreshing mocktail.

Muddling the mint is key to getting its flavour to come out.

Butterfly Pea Flower Soda

Butterfly pea flower is one of the coolest ways to make a fancy drink without adding any alcohol. All compliments of Mother Nature!

You can buy dried butterfly pea flowers and add them to boiling water to make tea. The water will quickly turn bright, vibrant blue.

What’s even cooler about it, is that you can change the colour to a bold purple by adding a hint of lemon juice. Many people make lemonade out of butterfly pea flowers for this reason.

I also frequently combine it with hibiscus tea, which turns it red instead. This is all because the pH changes based on the additions.

Butterfly pea flowers have a very subtle taste on their own, so they’re mostly used for visual appeal. You can then add this colouring to your clear soda or tonic water of choice, as well as add some garnishes or muddling of herbs and berries. It would also go great with ginger syrup or lavender syrup.

You can create a neat layered effect by adding lemon juice.

Hibiscus Iced Tea

Of all the herbal mocktail ideas on this list, I drink hibiscus iced tea the most. It’s extremely refreshing and packed full of electrolytes, antioxidants, and minerals.

It might not be a classic mocktail per say, leaning more into just a flavoured tea. But I find it’s really simple to elevate it.

As I mentioned above, you can combine it with a butterfly pea flower to achieve a neat blue and red layered effect. I also like to add edible flowers as a garnish or put them in ice cubes for a beautiful touch.

You can further add more flavour with a herbal simple syrup or by muddling some fruit.

Stevia leaves can be used as a garnish as well as a natural sweetener.

Let me know if you try any of these simple mocktail ideas in the comments below! I would love to hear how the recipes turn out and if you can make any variations.

More Delicious Recipes From the Garden

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Stephanie Rose

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May 1, 2024