Do love potions exist? I say yes. Okay,
kind of. The words
potion and
elixir both imply conjury - perhaps a bubbling test tube or a little amber bottle of murky liquid - but I'm referring to something much less hexed. It has more to do with the allurement that draws us outdoors to the first camphoric buds of spring and makes us pinch them right from the stalk. I'm talking aromatherapy meets sugar and cookery. Kitchen alchemy with herbs and flowers.
Our sense of smell is estimated to be ten thousand times more sensitive than our sense of taste. So, getting together flowery herbs and dessert is an exciting thing! Of course, this is not a new idea. Infused simple syrups have long been a staple of confectioners and the effects of aromatherapy on the body and spirit have been studied for ages. The novelty here is using herbs and flowers with specific characteristics. Intoxicating floral notes (lavender, rose) and stimulating scents (mint,citrus) are best suited for syrups we're giving the conceit of "love elixir".


Just like any simple syrup, these can be be poured over ice cream, added to cocktails, or drizzled over buttermilk-vanilla bean cupcakes with the recipe provided at the end of this post. Most infused syrups are colorless, and if you make a lot of different infusions at the same time as I have, adding a drop of complementary food color to each syrup is a good idea (i.e. green to mint-infused). This will help you identify them quickly and easily.
It was fun to learn about each herb's characteristics as I stirred them into syrup, and I've given some information with each elixir I created below, but it's also fine to disregard the back story and just enjoy them for what they are - yummy on dessert.
l to r:
Lavender-Juniper Berry - floral and heady with evergreen flavor. Maybe we should call this elixir "keep calm and forget-me-not" because lavender is known for relaxation and juniper berry reportedly helps improve memory! This one is a nice addition to cocktails.
Rose-Vanilla - rose is sweet and intoxicating and vanilla bean evokes feelings of safety and home. Cuddle up with your favorite person and a little of this over vanilla ice cream (one bowl, two spoons of course).
Lemon-Thyme - the scent of lemon is bright and energizing. Thyme has traditionally been associated with courage and reduces fatigue. Let's toss out our energy drinks and have a little of this over poppyseed pound cake instead, shall we?
Mint-Rosemary - cool with a kiss of pine. Mint is refreshing and invigorating. Rosemary is mood-lifting. Both pair extremely well with dark chocolate -and don't forget, chocolate supposedly simulates the feeling of falling in love. Mint/Rosemary/Chocolate? Win/win/win.