Making the most of our ‘edible’ garden this year, we’re growing a crop of chamomile!
Most of us have heard of its calming benefits, but what else does this super flower have to offer?
Well, amongst other things, a calming cup of chamomile tea can apparently help lower blood sugar levels, reduce inflammation, treat cold symptoms and insomnia, plus much more.
We’re waiting for the flower to bloom so we can collect and dry them, in the meantime we’re content with some lovely chamomile tea bags.
If you haven’t realised by now, we at Mindful Mixology love making cocktails just that little bit healthier.
Given the choice we’d rather go for a delicious cocktail with all the flavour, less sugar and some nice little beneficial ingredients added for good measure.
We whipped up a chamomile gin fizz from some very basic ingredients you will find in your larder.
Give it a go this weekend and let us know what you think. We’d love to see your pictures.
FOR THE COCKTAIL
- 50ml gin (a delicate one like Jindea or Norfolk Gin would be best)
- 25ml lemon juice
- 3 Chamomile tea bags
- 200ml hot water
- 5/10ml honey or agave (depending on how sweet you like it)
- 1 egg white or our fave Ms. Better’s Miraculous Foamer
- Splash of soda
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put the tea bags in a teapot and pour over 200ml boiling water. Stir, then set aside to steep for 5 mins. Stir again, then remove and discard the tea bags.
- Stir a local honey (good for hay fever suffered) or agave if you're vegan, then set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Add the gin, lemon juice and 25ml of the cool chamomile tea to a shaker. Add in one egg-white or 2 drops of Ms Better’s foamer and vigorously dry-shake (without ice) for about 15 seconds.
Our favourite cocktail staple; giving a perfect foam whilst being vegan-friendly
4. Add 3 or 4 ice cubes and shake vigorously until well-chilled.
- Double-strain (use a strainer to stop the ice cubes, and a second strainer or sieve to catch any finer parts) into a chilled tall glass, or if you are feeling fancy, a nice coupe.
- Decorate with some edible flowers from your garden, or a nice sprig of chamomile.
If you fancy being particularly adventurous, you could add the chamomile directly to the gin and allow to infuse for 5 days before decanting!
P.S. We absolutely love Ms Better's Miracle Foamer if you can't tell. At around £25-30 per bottle it's expensive, but one or two drops gives the perfect foam instead of having to use egg-white. We've had ours in our fridge for a good 3 months now and it's still going strong.