Dandelion Flower Cordial
A delightful and accessible spring libation
The star of early Spring, the Dandelion. It’s early April and strolling around the neighbourhood I notice golden rays popping up to say hello on just about every corner. Waving from last year’s garden beds, shooting out of the pavement cracks in the alley, Dandelion brightens our hearts in months of emergence, a sun ray blooming a signal of promise and joy.
A great way to work with these beauties is to capture their flavour and essence in a cordial. A cordial is a brew of flower petals (or herbs), citrus, water, and honey. It’s a delicious addition to cocktails and still or sparkling water (or even hot water in the early months of Spring). Other common cordials are Rose, Mint, Lilac and Elderflower, but we could try it with any edible flower!
Ingredients
This recipe makes about 1 litre of cordial, feel free to make more or less, and adjust the measurements accordingly.
- 40–50 Dandelion flower heads
- 1 lemon
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 4 ½ cups of water
Step One
First collect the Dandelion flowers, which are in abundance in many places during Spring. Simply snap off the flower heads when they are open during the day, and bring them home to lay on a drying rack or plate outside for an hour to let any little bugs disperse.
Notes on Harvesting
Be sure to collect flowers from clean spaces. This doesn’t have to be a pristine mountain field, but here are some general tips for harvesting to help ensure the plants haven’t absorbed toxins from their environment:
Collect plants that are at least 9 metres (30 feet) from any roadway.
Do not harvest plants along railways, active or inactive.
Avoid plants that grow around the foundation of buildings or from cement.
Be sure the collecting area hasn’t been sprayed with pesticides or herbicides (this is less common nowadays, but is still used widely on sports fields and in areas with invasive plant species — if you live in an urban area, you can usually contact City Hall to ask if a particular area has been sprayed).
Step Two
Once the blooms have aired out for an hour or so, begin removing the petals from the sepal (the green base of the flower head) and fill a clean 1 litre jar with them. This takes a bit of time and patience but is the most intimate part.
Compost the green sepal or gift them back to the earth.
Step Three
Zest one lemon over the petals in the jar and add the lemon juice.
Step Four
Boil 4 ½ cups of water and pour into the jar to cover the flowers and fill.
Step Five
Add 2 tablespoons of honey and stir
Step Six
Let the mixture steep for 4–6 hours (I usually leave mine overnight). Once this time has passed, strain the mixture into a clean jar. Now you’re all done! Add a generous splash of your cordial to cocktails, still, sparkling, or hot water, and enjoy!
The cordial will keep in the fridge for 4–5 days. For a longer shelf life add a bit of vodka, gin, or other alcohol.
Easy and delicious. Enjoy!
