Earth Day Cocktail - Sustainable Rum & Dandelion Cocktail Recipe
How to make a 2 ingredient earth day cocktail perfect for Earth day using sustainably processed rum brand Flor de Cana and what is normally considered a British garden pest - dandelion
Earth day is an environmental movement that has been growing worldwide since 1970, It’s the one day a year where people get involved as a community bringing attention to environmental issues, sustainability and climate change.
When is Earth Day 2024?
Earth day 2024 will take place on April 22nd.
If you’ve missed earth day this year, then not to worry! The truth is, people can and should get involved every day keeping our planet healthy.
However, Earth day helps do this at an accessible and global level by focusing on one day, But by no means is sustainability a one day a year thing. This day is here with the hope to get the ball rolling for many people to take positive action year round.
Earth Day’s Vision
“Our world needs transformational change. It’s time for the world to hold sectors accountable for their role in our environmental crisis while also calling for bold, creative, and innovative solutions. This will require action at all levels, from business and investment to city and national government.
That’s where you come in: As an individual, you yield real power and influence as a consumer, a voter, and a member of a community that can unite for change.
Don’t underestimate your power. When your voice and your actions are united with thousands or millions of others around the world, we create a movement that is inclusive, impactful, and impossible to ignore.
Every Earth Day can drive a year of energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to create a new plan of action for our planet.” - source
How I will be getting involved with Earth Day 2024
Being the mindful mixologist, taking part in earth day with a cocktail twist is pretty much an essential part of the self titled role.
This year, I’m sharing this twist on a classic cocktail - the Daiquiri. That you can make at home yourself and hopefully be inspired to get creative with what are usually wasteful ingredients to create something delicious and planet friendly.
This cocktail I’m sharing with you today is a 2 ingredient cocktail. Meaning it will be easy for you to recreate at home, after purchasing a sustainable rum brand and whipping up some zero-waste dandelion cordial that is! I will show you how to make the dandelion cordial in this post, something that turns a common weed into a delicious honey-like citrusy syrup.
As for the rum, any sustainable brand will do but I will be using Flor De Cane, as its one of the most sustainable rum brands on the market.
Flor de Cańa Rum
Flor de Cańa Rum 12 year - image source
Flor de Cana rum is not a paid sponsor for this post. I just thought I’d start by saying that. The reason I’m specifically using flor de Cana rum in this recipe and not some other random brand is because of there sustainability contribution.
Flor de Cana rum is one of, if not the most sustainable rum brand on the market. Some of there credentials include 50,000 trees planted annually and supporting the sustainable community, as well as being distilled with 100% renewable energy and capturing C02 emissions during the fermentation process.
It also happens to be the first of its kind being both fair-trade and carbon neutral certified. Other than all that sustainability its also a delicious rum. It’s distilled just 5 miles from the active volcano that is the San Cristóbal volcano, the tallest and most active in Nicaragua. Everything from the volcanic soil, water and climate has an affect on the taste of the end product, which produces an extremely smooth rum.
You can learn more about Flor de Cana on their official website
If you’re from the UK, here’s a few links to where you can buy the Flor de Cana delicious range, including their prestigious 25 year aged rum.
Dandelion Cocktail
With a usual daiquiri, we are expected to see lime juice and sugar syrup mixed with rum. For this Earth day Daiquiri I replace the lime juice (which can often produce waste in lime peels and flesh) as well as the sugar syrup, to create a single sweet and sour liquid - dandelion cordial.
Dandelion Cordial
Dandelions are Britain’s most popular weeds. They grow everywhere, annoyingly everywhere. In-between garden flags, through cracks in pavement, outside any grassy area, there’s just no stopping them from growing.
No matter what people try to stop the growth - weed killer or stomping them out, they just seem to grow back more thicker and faster then unwanted hair.
However, what people don’t always realize is that dandelions are actually edible. As long as they have no toxic sprays or have had weed killer sprayed, dandelions can be plucked straight from your yard and used in everything from tea to wine. You can even use dandelion leaves in salads!
A completely no effort and no waste growth, completely waste free and sustainable and yet, considered nothing but a pest.
How to make Dandelion Cordial
For the dandelion cordial you will first need a bunch of dandelions. As I’m sure you already know, they are everywhere so just walk around and forage for some. Avoid foraging from popular outside areas, as you could have anything from toxic sprays to dog wee on them. Not something you want in a cocktail.
Instead, stick to your own back garden where you know what's been on them or hidden areas.
After you have collected a good amount of dandelions, separate the green from the yellow. Pull all the yellow flowery parts off the head and collect them in a bowl.
Run all your yellow dandelion leaves under water to fully clean them. Then do it again to make sure they are clean, then do it one more time just to triple check. You want your dandelion as clean as possible before mixing up your cordial.
In a saucepan, mix 500grams of white sugar with 500ml of water and bring to a boil whilst stirring so the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar has dissolved, add your clean yellow dandelion flowers into the mix and simmer for 10 minutes, take off the heat and allow to cool and steep.
Whilst cooling add 10grams of citric acid which you can get in the UK here on Amazon or the USA on Amazon here.
Allow the mixture to cool completely then strain into a bottle and refrigerate.
Depending on how many dandelion flowers you add depends on the steeping time. Whilst your mix is steeping taste and adjust to your liking. If the mixture is to subtle then steep for longer, you could leave your leaves brewing all night if needs be for a stronger flavour. If you have a lot of flowers your dandelion cordial maybe fully infuse before its completely cooled, in which case you may strain earlier.
It’s all personal taste and adjustments so taste whilst cooling.
How you can get involved in Earth day
Check out the earth day official website here
Create your own sustainable recipes
Or simple share this recipe.
As a side note, if you share this be sure to let me know on my Instagram the mindful_mixologist so I can personally thank you. Also don’t forget to follow me on there for all my sustainable drink recipe updates.
More food and drink Earth day resources
The Botanist - Non Alcoholic Pea Shoot and Seedlip Cocktail Recipe
How to make Tepache | What it is, Recipe, health benefits and Variations
11 Tips for Sustainable Cocktails | Zero-waste Bartending Made Simple
What is Kvass and how to make it - The Russian fermented rye bread drink recipe
So how do dandelions taste?
Dandelions have a unique flavour. It's not a floral flavour at all, more bitter and earthy. Mixed with sugar what you get is something very similar in both looks and taste to honey with one exception - it's completely vegan.
The Earth Day Daiquiri Cocktail Recipe
Earth Day Cocktail
Ingredients
Instructions
- Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake till ice cold. Then strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with dandelion leaves or leave it ungarnished.
Notes
See below for the dandelion cordial recipe.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
119.79Fat
0.04 gSat. Fat
0.01 gCarbs
0.53 gFiber
0.2 gNet carbs
0.33 gSugar
0.04 gProtein
0.16 gSodium
4.93 mgCholesterol
0 mgThe nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
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Hi, I’m Cameron, guv’nor of Smartblend. If you liked this then you’re in luck, I have a bunch more recipes like it. I share only vegetarian and pescatarian food recipes, cocktails, and drink guides with a sprinkling of wellness and mindful drinking. If that sounds like you, then stick around!
