I’m always juggling various obsessions in different proportions. My slightly OCD personality often sees me eating/listening/wearing/doing the same thing over and over until I get completely sick of it, and then moving on to the next thing. At the moment my rotating favourite things include bircher muesli for breakfast, this album and pastel blue nail polish. But I have a feeling that my latest favourite obsession will stick around for a while. Flavoured Ice Cubes. They’re a complete revelation!

Instead of ice cubes watering down your drink and making it sad and flavourless, these are the exact opposite. By freezing juice or cordial, herbs, fruit, flowers, etc into ice cube trays, they actually enhance your drink as they start to melt. It all started last month with lychee juice, mint and berry ice cubes in a delicious iced tea punch with a whole lot of fruit. This drink was seriously delicious, a total crowd-pleaser. Every single person asked for the recipe afterwards. Flavoured ice cubes are so easy to make and the possibilities are virtually endless. I’m super excited to try espresso or chai flavoured ones next. If you’re fancy you could just add them to a glass of water.

If you’ve been reading for a while, you probably know that Pimms is one of my favourite summer tipples. I first made this Pimms and Elderflower cocktail – which I’ve named The Garden Party – over a year ago and have been wanting to share it here ever since. I even took photos of it, and it was really delicious, but there was something missing. A cocktail called The Garden Party has to look beautiful and girly, right? The pretty floral ice cubes were exactly what I needed to elevate it to something really special.

The elderflower cordial enhanced the flavour in the drink wonderfully and the brightly coloured petals were very pretty. I can just imagine this cocktail being served at a garden wedding or even just a girly lunch. I know my Pimms-loving friends would totally dig this! I’ve given the recipe below to serve 2 but you could scale up the quantities and serve it in a pitcher for a larger group.

The Garden Party Cocktail

Serves 2

Flower Ice Cubes

• 400ml water
• 80-100ml elderflower cordial
• Edible petals

Cocktail

• 60ml Pimms
• 60ml Gin (I used Hendricks)
• 60ml Elderflower cordial or liqueur
• Sliced Cucumber
• Lemonade or soda, to top up

To make the ice cubes, mix the water and elderflower cordial in a jug to taste. Place a few petals into each ice cube section and then top up with the cordial. Freeze overnight.
To make The Garden Party cocktail, place half the quantities of Pimms, gin, elderflower cordial or liqueur and sliced cucumber in each glass. Add 3-4 ice cubes to each glass and top up with lemonade or soda. Serve with a pretty straw.