DIY: Rose Petal Ice Cubes

Remember walking around with a pink-stained tongue all summer long? I don’t advocate the return of Kool-Aid to your diet, but if you keep a tray of DIY rose petal ice cubes in the freezer, you will be able to instantly replicate the excitement of drinking pink.

The moment I spotted rose petal ice cubes at Sweet Paul Mag, I knew I had to have them for my own. But why stop at cubes that contain a single perfect petal? My Cardinal de Richelieu climbing rose produces miniature cube-perfect flowers, so I tinkered. In the end I made ice cubes that can each hold an entire rose suspended in their shimmery cold depths:

Photography by Michelle Slatalla for Gardenista.

Above: Basically, all you need for this project is an ice cube tray, water, some pesticide-free rose petals (or whole miniature rose flowers) from your garden–and patience. The trick to getting the petals to appear suspended in the middle of the cube is to freeze the ice in layers.

Step No. 1: Pour enough water into an ice tray to fill it one-third of the way. Freeze.

Step No. 2: Place petals or whole roses on top of the ice. Add enough water to fill the tray two-thirds of the way and freeze again.

Step No. 3: At this point, the petals or flowers will be stuck in the ice and unable to float annoyingly to the top of the cube. It’s safe to fill the tray the rest of the way with water and freeze.

Above: Rose petal ice cubes are a lovely addition to any clear or light-colored drink. Put them in drinking water. Or vodka. Or a Lillet cocktail.

Lucky UK gardeners have lots of sources if they want to buy a Cardinal de Richelieu rose. For instance, the climber is £14.50 from David Austin. (N.B.: Do you know of an online source for US gardeners? If so, please share it in the comments section below.)

Above: When you use tap water to make the ice, you may end up with tiny air bubbles. If you crave perfect crystal-clear cubes, use distilled water or boil and cool tap water before freezing.

Above: I can’t decide if I prefer a scattering of individual petals or a whole flower in my ice. Either way, it’s better than Kool-aid.

Above: I used an old-fashioned metal Onyx Stainless Steel Ice Cube Tray; $29.95 from Amazon.

For another edible rose recipe, see DIY: Rose Petal Honey.

N.B.: This is an update of a post originally published June 11, 2013.

Finally, get more ideas on how to successfully plant, grow, and care for rose with our Rose: A Field Guide.

Finally, get more ideas on how to plant, grow, and care for various perennial plants with our Perennials: A Field Guide.