18 Fresh Floral And Herb Garnishes To Add To Spring Cocktails

Now that spring has sprung and everything is in bloom again or just starting to sprout, it's the perfect time to gather some of that fresh bounty from nature for all your homemade cocktail creations. Adding wild harvested floral, herb, and other plant garnishes will not only make your springtime drinks look stunningly beautiful, it will also give them a burst of aromatic flavors and scents that will delight the senses. (Check out our ideas for warm winter drink garnishes, too.)

Before you head out to forage for wild plants, however, it's important to review a few important tips for consuming wild edible plants. Proper identification is essential since many plants have look-alikes that can be toxic. Unless you are 100% sure about what you collect, consider using a reliable field guide or consulting an expert to avoid any risky mistakes. Next, be sure to harvest only from clean, pesticide-free areas, and wash your harvest thoroughly. Wild plants can carry insects, dirt, and debris, so give them a thorough rinsing before using.

With that in mind, we present to you 18 fresh garnishes made with edible flowers and other wild plants that will take your spring cocktails to the next level. These garnishes offer beauty, fragrance, and flavors that capture the essence of the season, so you can make your cocktail hour feel extra special.

Wild violets thrive in moist soils and shaded areas. They can survive in nearly every environment, from bogs and wetlands to dry meadows and rocky outcroppings, as well as in city gardens and understory landscapes where other plants are difficult to grow. Small and delicate, wild violets bloom in late winter and early spring, and they are a charming garnish that can be used much in the same way as their cultivated counterparts. Their purple petals offer a stunning burst of color that instantly brightens up any cocktail. 

Beyond their visual appeal, however, wild violets bring a mild, sweet flavor and delicate scent that's subtle yet distinct, making them a perfect addition when you want just a hint of floral notes. They pair wonderfully with gin-based drinks, like the almost forgotten Aviation, where their delicate flavor complements the botanicals of gin. You can also use them to elevate sparkling cocktails with a touch of elegance and beauty.

The common dandelion is a perennial plant that produces bright yellow flowers from spring through fall. While dandelions are often thought of as a pesky weed, the whole plant is actually totally edible. Be aware that dandelion greens taste best when harvested as young, tender leaves in early spring, before they flower, because they are less bitter at this stage. The bright yellow blossoms, however, can be harvested at any time, so next time this plant pops up in your backyard, skip the weed killer and gather it up for your next drink instead. 

The flowers make for a quirky garnish in cocktails — just picture them on top of a perfectly balanced margarita or tossed into a gin and tonic. Not only do dandelions add a sunny pop of color, but they also bring a light, herbal sweetness that is perfect for spring drinks. If you're in the mood for something bubbly, simply toss a few dandelion buds into a glass of champagne or sparkling wine spritzer. You can also infuse dandelion petals into syrups or add the petals to honey for more depth of flavor in cocktails that call for a sweetener.

Wild chamomile, also known as German chamomile, is grown commercially worldwide for use as an herbal tea and for pharmaceutical extracts. Whether wild or cultivated, the best time to harvest chamomile is when the flowers are blooming and the petals are flat. You can harvest them a little sooner or a little later, but this is when the most medicinal properties are present. The small, daisy-like flowers have a lovely apple scent that's both calming and refreshing. 

Chamomile pairs wonderfully with whiskey, gin, or lighter spirits, adding a smooth, subtly floral note to your drinks. For bourbon lovers, a chamomile-infused Old Fashioned can bring out a whole new layer of complexity. If you're looking for something more laid-back, try it as a garnish for a hard lemonade or a floral spiked iced tea — light, refreshing, and perfect for a sunny spring afternoon.

Elderberry trees bloom in spring, typically in late May. They usually only flower for a couple of weeks, so if you're hoping to harvest elderflowers for your springtime cocktail creations, definitely don't delay! Elderflower is one of those ingredients that instantly adds a touch of elegance and freshness to any cocktail. With its floral and slightly fruity scent, it's a perfect garnish that captures the essence of spring. Elderflower pairs wonderfully with a variety of spirits, but it's particularly great with gin, which enhances its floral notes. For a light, bubbly option, you can't go wrong with an elderflower gin fizz — a refreshing mix of gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, and soda water, garnished with an elderflower sprig and lemon twist.

Another delightful option is our elderflower margarita cocktail. To make it, simply mix tequila, elderflower liqueur, fresh lime juice, and ice in a shaker. Shake for 10-12 seconds, strain into a glass, and garnish with a sprig of mint, a lime wheel, and a cluster of fresh elderflowers. You can also rim the glass with salt to balance the sweetness of the elderflower. This drink offers a refreshing twist on the traditional margarita, and it hits the spot on a warm spring evening.

Red clover typically blooms from late spring through early summer, or roughly from May through July, depending on the variety and location. Harvesting red clover blossoms is a simple way to bring a touch of nature into your seasonal cocktails, giving classic drinks a fun, spring-inspired makeover. Not only are red clover blossoms cute as a button, but they also bring a light, floral fragrance that pairs beautifully with bold spirits like rum or whiskey. Their mildly sweet flavor makes them a worthwhile addition to any cocktail, while their pretty pink-purple petals add a fun pop of color. 

We think they make for an adorable garnish in high-quality sour cocktails that benefit from a fresh, herbal twist to balance out the citrusy tartness. Plus, you can experiment with infusing red clover flowers into simple syrup too, which is an ingredient that will instantly upgrade your homemade whiskey sour.

Commonly planted in gardens and ornamental landscapes, lilacs, including wild varieties, generally bloom after the last spring frost. They pair wonderfully with spirits like gin and vodka, as well as with sparkling wines, making them a versatile addition to your drink repertoire. Draping a cluster of lilac blossoms over the rim of your glass is an easy way to add a touch of elegance and seasonal flair, turning a simple cocktail into something fancy. Lilacs aren't just a gorgeous garnish for cocktails, however, as they can also be transformed into a fragrant, flavorful simple syrup that will level up your drink game.

To make a lilac simple syrup, simply simmer lilac flowers with sugar and water, allowing the delicate blossoms to infuse their sweet, floral notes into the liquid. The result is a syrup that adds a subtle yet aromatic sweetness, perfect for enhancing a variety of cocktails. Whether you're mixing up a refreshing bourbon spiked lemonade, a delicate lilac martini, or simply adding a splash of syrup to a classic gin and tonic, lilac syrup provides a hint of sweetness and an irresistible flowery scent that evokes the best of the spring season.

Jasmine flowers, much like lilacs, are often found in ornamental gardens and landscapes. But you'll also find wild varieties growing in tropical and subtropical regions across Asia, Africa, and Australia, with some even making their home in Mediterranean Europe. These flowers aren't just beautiful to look at — they also bring a divine fragrance that adds a special touch to your springtime drinks. Their delicate blooms make for a pretty garnish, giving your drink a sweet, floral aroma, though they're one of the worst tasting edible flowers. 

Jasmine really shines when paired with clear spirits like gin, vodka, or white rum, complementing their crisp, clean flavors. Drop a few fresh jasmine flowers into a bubbly cocktail, and you'll have a drink that looks as beautiful as it smells. And speaking of drinks, what better way to enjoy a classic Jasmine gin cocktail than garnishing it with fresh jasmine flowers?

Wild mint is one of the best examples of how foraged herbs can bring a powerful, aromatic punch to your seasonal drinks. The best time to pick wild mint for its most intense flavor is late spring to early summer, just before the plant flowers. Stronger and more fragrant than its cultivated counterpart, wild mint adds an intense burst of flavor with just a few leaves. It's perfect for creating a wilder version of a refreshing mojito, where its robust aroma shines through alongside the lime and rum. Wild mint also works wonders in a mint julep, bringing a refreshing depth that really elevates this drink. 

Beyond these classic cocktails, you can add a sprig of wild mint to almost any cocktail where you want a lively, yet cooling herbal note. Whether muddled, cold-infused, or simply used as a fresh green garnish, its bold fragrance is sure to impress the senses.

Wood sorrel looks like clover, but it's actually a wild herb with a tart, sharp flavor that grows well in dappled shade on banks and slopes where other plants might struggle. This herb is perfect not only as an unexpected ingredient for your salad but also as a flavor enhancer in drinks of all sorts where you want a fresh, citrusy twist. Its heart-shaped leaves also add a sour punch without the need for actual lemon. 

Wood sorrel makes for a charming garnish for smooth vodka cocktails or drinks with gin, as its tangy flavor pairs well with the botanicals of the spirits. It's also fantastic in champagne cocktails, where it adds a pop of wild freshness to the bubbles, or in any herbal cocktail that needs a little zesty kick.

Adding stinging nettles to your cocktails might seem a little daunting at first, but don't worry — when they're young and tender in the spring, they're totally safe to eat after a quick, five minute blanching. These fresh, grassy leaves bring a unique, herbal flavor that's perfect for shaking up your usual drink routine. Just be sure to handle them with gloves while they're raw! Once properly prepped by blanching, nettles make a great garnish, adding an unexpected depth to your drink. 

They shine in a nettle gin fizz, where their fresh herbal notes balance out the botanicals in the gin, or in an herbal vodka lemonade, where their earthy taste pairs beautifully with the tartness of lemon. Whether muddled into your cocktail or used as a prickly garnish, stinging nettles bring a bold, green twist that's perfect for the adventurous drinker's spring creations.

Fiddleheads, the young, coiled fronds of ferns, are a unique and fun garnish to use in cocktails. These vibrant, curled greens have a fresh, slightly grassy flavor with a hint of nuttiness, making them a great way to add a touch of nature's springtime flavors to your drinks. Fiddleheads are typically available in early spring, but they have to be blanched or steamed before using them as a garnish. Their whimsical shape and deep green color make them an eye-catching addition. 

They pair beautifully with light spritzers and herbal cocktails, bringing a subtle earthy flavor and a fun, rustic twist to your springtime sips. Just be sure to cook them before serving, as raw fiddlehead ferns can be toxic.

Lemon balm is a pleasantly fragrant herb that makes a fantastic garnish for drinks, offering a fresh, citrusy aroma with a hint of minty flavor. You can harvest lemon balm leaves throughout the growing season, ideally before the plant blossoms when the leaves are young and tender, and their flavor is most potent. It is a great substitute for bergamot, especially in drinks where you want that citrusy zing without the strong, sometimes bitter edge of traditional bergamot. 

Whether used in a gin and tonic, hard iced tea, or a spritzer, lemon balm can enhance many different beverages with its bright, herbal notes. Its mild lemon flavor pairs well with botanical spirits like gin or the more neutral vodka. A sprig of lemon balm can be muddled into your cocktails for an extra burst of flavor or simply used as a garnish to add a refreshing touch.

While there are plenty of varieties of thyme out there, wild thyme adds a fun, earthy kick to cocktails, bringing loads of flavor and a little adventure to your drink. Its fragrant, herbal notes are a great match for gin, vodka, or rum, giving your drinks a bit of extra depth. Muddle it in for a fresh burst of flavor or use a sprig as a garnish to jazz up your glass. 

If you are harvesting wild thyme for the leaves, the best time is early spring, just before it blooms, which is when the leaves are at their most flavorful. If you're after the flowers, however, you will have to hold off until later in the season, usually late spring or early summer, when the little purple or pink blooms show up. Harvesting at the right time gets you the freshest, most flavorful parts of the plant for your cocktails.

Yarrow is a perennial herb that has a long history of use in traditional medicine, witchcraft, and more. Foraging for yarrow is easy as long as you know how to identify it — just look in wild, grassy areas, especially in late spring or early fall when it's in full bloom. Be aware that yarrow can be confused with hemlock, a toxic plant. Both have similar feathery leaves and small white or pink flowers, but hemlock has a foul odor, while yarrow smells herbal. Yarrow's flowers also form flat-topped clusters, while hemlock's are umbrella-like. Always be sure to identify the plant properly, and when in doubt, consult an expert. 

Both the yarrow flowers and leaves work wonders in drinks. The leaves have a slightly bitter flavor that pairs well with gin or whiskey, while the flowers bring a soft, floral touch to lighter cocktails and spritzers. You can muddle the leaves into your cocktail or use the delicate flowers as a garnish for a pop of color and an extra layer of flavor. Just be sure to double-check that you've got the right plant!

Foraging for wild berries is a fun way to bring fresh, seasonal flavors into your spring cocktails. One excellent option to look for is the red mulberry, which grows wild across eastern and central North America. These juicy little berries ripen from April to June, depending on location, making them perfect for adding a burst of flavor to your drinks. Red mulberries are awesome for muddling into cocktails like mojitos or martinis, giving them a natural sweetness with a bit of tartness. 

You can also use them to infuse syrups for a rich berry kick, or just toss a few in as colorful, tasty garnishes that really make your drink pop. Whether you're mixing up something simple or getting creative, wild foraged berries like these add a fun, nature-filled twist to your spring sips.

Juneberries (aka serviceberries) are a fantastic wild berry to forage for in early summer. They typically ripen in June, hence the name, and have a sweet, slightly almond-like flavor with a hint of berry tartness. These little fruits are perfect for muddling into cocktails like mojitos or adding to gin and tonics for a fresh, juicy twist. You can also use them to make simple syrups or infuse spirits directly. 

Juneberries make a beautiful garnish too — dropped into your drink, they add a pop of color and a touch of sweetness. With their unique flavor and natural beauty, Juneberries bring a delightful, seasonal charm to cocktails.

Perhaps unexpected, spruce tips, the fresh, tender new growth of spruce trees, are a perfect, aromatic garnish for cocktails. These bright green, needle-like shoots have a zesty, citrus flavor with a touch of pine, which give your drinks a cool, earthy vibe. Foraged in early spring, they're great to use fresh and really bring a forest-like freshness to your cocktails. They pair especially well with gin, vodka, or even whiskey, adding a crisp, herbal kick. 

Whether you're tossing them into a gin and tonic or muddling them into a drink for extra flavor, spruce tips are a fun, natural twist for your spring cocktails. Just make sure you're using the fresh, young tips for the best flavor.

Similar to spruce tips, pine needles are another surprisingly delightful cocktail garnish that hides in plain sight. Not only can you ferment pine needles to make delicious soda water, but you can also use them to give your cocktails a fresh, resinous flavor that is straight out of the forest. Young pine needles can be picked off the new growth of branches in spring when they are fresh and tender, then simply thrown right into your drink as a fun garnish.

Their crisp, woodsy taste pairs perfectly with gin, whiskey, and vodka, adding a unique element to any woodland-inspired cocktail. They are great for something like a gin fizz or a whiskey sour, where their fresh, piney kick balances the other flavors. You can also infuse pine needles into a simple syrup. Whether you are using them as a flavor enhancement or just as a garnish, pine needles give drinks a cool, outdoorsy vibe that sets the mood for spring.