Black Locust Gin Cocktails

Here's how to make Black Locust Gin and two kinds of wild cocktails -- from the flowers of Black Locust trees. Soaking their fresh flowers in gin brings wonderful flavors to cocktails!
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Black Locust Trees - Robinia pseudoacacia
Black locust trees are in the Bean Family (Fabaceae). Some folks call them False Acacia. Wild ones have clusters of white flowers tinged with a bit of yellow. When the trees are blooming in late spring, they are hard to miss. There are lots and lots of flowers that smell so sweet and fragrant!
Black locust trees are native to the southeast United States, but they have spread across much of North America and around the world. They are even considered invasive in many places. So it's easy to pick a lot of them in a short time.
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Making the Black Locust Gin
Enjoying Black Locust Gin cocktails does take some planning ahead. It starts in the spring.
After harvesting the fresh flowers, I let them sit out for a few minutes to let any insects escape. Then I put the flowers in jars, either on or off the central stem of the flower cluster. I make sure not to put any green leaves into the jar, though.
Then I fill the jars with gin. It doesn't seem to matter what kind of gin, since the flavors of the black locust flowers will be stronger than the variation in flavor of gin from one brand to another.
I make sure the flowers are covered by the gin. Then I put the jars in a dark place. For how long?
Many foraging books don't say at all how to leave the flowers sit in the gin. Some sources say a couple days, others say a month, and others say they don't like their results at all!
I've experimented with this over many years and find that the length of time does matter -- and shorter is more flavorful than longer. Waiting longer doesn't ruin anything, it's just that the flower essence fades away. The flowers packed while still on their stem seem to hold onto their flavor longer.
If you make this with the earliest flowers, and let them sit in the gin for only a week, then there will still be some fresh black locust flowers to serve with your cocktail and make it look fancy!
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Strain The Flowers and Gin
When your gin is ready, strain to separate the soaked flowers and gin. The Black Locust Gin is OK to store in a cool, dark place for 6-8 months.
Put the flowers in their own jar, that goes in the freezer to keep them for another kind of cocktail -- a Black Locust Gin Slushy!
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Black Locust Gin Cocktail
This cocktail is a simple way to use the Black Locust Gin. I'm sure you can come up with a variation that fits the style of cocktails that you like.
This cocktail is not sweet at all. Instead of ice, I use frozen plums from a summertime harvest (the ones in the video are Metheley plums from a tree here on the homestead). I add a bit of fresh-picked mint. And then a basic club soda. And stir. That's it!
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Black Locust Gin Slushy
The flower buds have soaked up a lot of gin.They're flavorful, but they are chewy! So here's a way that I've come up with to enjoy them. I'm not saying it's healthy, but it's good!
I just blend the flowers up with some snowballs that I make in the winter and keep in the freezer. Fresh-made snowballs become like snow cone ice as they age in a freezer. I blend the flowers and snowballs to make a Black Locust Gin Slushy! Nobody sells anything like that -- you have to make it yourself!
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More foraging videos and playlists you might like:
Deep Fry Black Locust Flowers: • Eat Black Locust Flowe...
Wild Salads: • Wild Salads: Foraging ...
Wild Greens in Spring: • Wild Greens Recipes: Y...
Dandelions - • Dandelions: Foraging W...
Wild Mustard Plants - • Wild Mustard Plants: G...
Elderberry - • Elderberry Bushes, Flo...
Spruce Trees - • Spruce Trees: Foraging...
Redbud Trees - • Redbud Trees: Foraging...
My channel: Haphazard Homestead: / @haphazardhomestead
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Music:
Jazz Piano Bar by Doug Maxwell/Right Media Productions, Moonshine Town by JR Tundra, Lazy Afternoon Sun by Dan Lebowitz. Used by permission from the KZbin Audio Library.
Bicycle - Reunited and Happy Alley by Kevin MacLeod are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommon...)
Bicycle-Reunited Source: incompetech.com...
Happy Alley Source: incompetech.com...
Artist: incompetech.com/
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Thank you, Shinko T., for my thumbnail!

[@MentalWanderings]

I love that you poured an extra drink! After watching your channel for a few hours, I've come to the conclusion that hanging out with you could never be less than brilliant! Thanks for all your knowledge.

[@bluekikis3228]

Holly, Thank you so much for your wisdom. I came back to watch the video on winter salad and ended up staying and watching again you other videos.

[@raveneyes7191]

I just love your energy. Been a fan for a while. Its always a pleasure hearing your voice :)

[@kage68]

Missed these videos! Thank you!

[@PrepperPotpourri]

Never thought of freeing snowballs and making a Spring Slushee. What a great idea!

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Hi, Prepper Potpourri! Nice to see you here! It's hard to let a good snowstorm pass by, unforaged, lol. In winter, there's more space in my freezers as I eat the food I put by from the past harvest seasons. Then I can enjoy my snowballs to make space for the next season of foraging and gardening. Snowballs are so great. I'll have a whole video on them soon.

[@Simonsays7258]

Wow! You know how to live life!

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Wild plants do make life more interesting - and tasty! I hope you get to try some black locust flowers yourself sometime!

[@frithar]

This sounds wonderful!

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Thanks, fritha grimmsdottir! I hope you can find some black locust flowers yourself sometime. Happy spring!

[@tarabonee8855]

Well there you are! Happy spring and ty for the recipie! Nice to see a new video

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Thanks, Tara Bonee! It does seem like I hibernate in the winter, lol. But it's spring now and it's going to be a busy 2019 here on my channel. Happy spring to you, too -- and I hope you can enjoy the wild bounty around you! :D

[@leenaright3949]

Awesome 👍

[@HaphazardHomestead]

I hope you get to try some yourself sometime, Kaa Pil! :D

[@TipsyFlipper]

so glad I found this one... I really need to go through all your vids again. So MUCH Good! "You have to make it" that's right!

[@HaphazardHomestead]

I hope you get to try the black locust flowers sometime. They are good is a lot of ways, but definitely Black Locust Gin! :D

[@TipsyFlipper]

@@HaphazardHomestead I certainly will. My Black Locusts are tall. I am trying to come up with some extended clippers before late spring.

[@ericmccann21]

Time to get picking here! Can't wait

[@tangojoe9694]

Very nice, now I need to find a black locust!

[@HaphazardHomestead]

I think you're in Indiana or the northeast US, right? Either way, you have lots of them around you. You'll notice one tree when it's flowering, and then you will start seeing a lot of them. And then you'll know why they are considered invasive weeds, lol. And then you will enjoy lots of black locust flowers! Maybe you will even figure out how to grill them! Enjoy your BBQ!

[@tangojoe9694]

We are on Long Island. Plenty of locust trees around, though the black locust seems to be more sparse. Will be sure to look for the flowering trees this spring and summer.

[@CurlyFreys]

So excited to see more videos from you!

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Thanks, Emily Frey! And thanks for stopping by and commenting, too!

[@HomsteadingThePioneerWay]

Yum, looks good girl

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Thanks! There are so many great ways to use black locust flowers. And there sure are lots on one tree! Happy spring!

[@robertm4050]

Alcoholic beverages and foraging from your property? I am fulfilled. But as a longtime bartender and instructor(and drinker), the quality of alcohol does make a difference. I think a little lemon zest strip or two would really set off either of those drinks, or using ginger infused simple syrup for the sweetness in the slushy. I bought a Redbud tree this week because of one of your videos, wonder if that would make a good infused vodka?

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Thanks for your ideas to make those cocktails even better, Robert M! I'll try those with my 2019 batch, for sure. I've used a variety of basic gins, like the Brokers, Seagrams, Beefeater, and Gordons, over the years, and I can't tell one from another with the black locust flowers. But, boy oh boy, our regional gin made in Oregon, like Cascade Mountain's, is in a different category, that even I can tell the difference. They use juniper berries foraged from eastern Oregon. But I haven't wanted to change it with the black locust flowers -- it's a lot more expensive, lol.

[@HaphazardHomestead]

And I'm excited you to enjoy your Redbud tree! Such a pretty addition to a yard, in addition to eating the flowers. The don't have the powerful aroma of the black locust flowers, so I wonder how much they would add to vodka (the black locust flowers will be great in vodka). On the other hand, redbud flowers are good in vinegar and fermented, too, so they may work out alright. The experimenting is part of the fun of foraging! Enjoy your redbud! : )

[@robertm4050]

@@HaphazardHomestead Thanks for the videos and all the insight and ideas that come from them! I agree that the really good gin should be appreciated without anything added other than some soda or tonic. It is cool that a place is foraging their own ingredients! I moved not that long ago and recently found 2 new places to forage this year and finally got a book for reference on different edible species. My daughter is getting big enough to come out with me now too. Son turns six in two weeks, so I will finally have the time, ability, and location to get going on it. Miss my old area of the state where I knew all the little places to go and the best spot for fiddleheads was only half an hour away. Thinking about planting some in my back area that is really shaded as an experiment to see if I can get them to grow and multiply. Can't wait to see more content in the months to come. I had to meet an order minimum with my Redbud, so I have hazelnuts coming too and they start producing nuts so much earlier than any other nut producers. I planted black walnut trees in the woods nearby, which hopefully will survive.

[@HaphazardHomestead]

That's all so exciting, Robert M! Getting your kids outdoors to learn their plants, finding new places to forage, and planting some trees that you'll enjoy for years and years. Have a great spring with all your "young sprouts"!

[@robertm4050]

@@HaphazardHomestead Thanks again!

[@reneethephatmermaid8175]

Waste not, want not. Cheers to your health and awesome videos!

[@HaphazardHomestead]

That's a good motto, @renee mislivets! Glad you're enjoying my videos. Happy spring!

[@mooshamarie8791]

You are the COOLEST and most information loaded forager/wild edibles lady I've ever seen!! You teach WELL. You give lots of information and that's JUST what I want. I absolutely respect and LOVE your vids. Im freaking addicted! LOL Thank you so much for sharing useful information with so much details . LOVE LOVE LOVE.

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Thanks for your kind words, Moosha Marie! I'm glad my videos are helping you out. There's so much good eating out there, waiting for us to figure it out and get to picking! Happy foraging!

[@oldguy]

Oh yeah the brain freeze always gets me too!! I am super happy to see you making some vids! Reminds me of how I use vodka and vanilla beans to make my own vanilla!! BTW Im Old Guy Photos lol. Hey I bet you would be huge on DTube. I post here and there. I do pretty good over there.

[@compouw999]

im going to make it this year.thank you!

[@edwardleroy7648]

Good Googley Mook, wish i was there. Aw Shucks. Happy Spring to Ya.

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Happy spring to you, too, edward leroy!

[@MYPERMACULTUREGARDEN]

I'm coming from Papa Pepper's channel. He recommended you ! I love your voice,,,, I love your content, I can't wait to view more of your videos ! I want to plant many wild edibles and you will be my teacher !! Hello new friend !

[@JustinCalpito]

Welcome back! Happy Spring!

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Thanks, Justin Calpito! I hope you get to enjoy plenty of nature's bounty and beauty this spring!

[@GiveitaGrow]

Oh boy, what a treat! Those flowers must be pungent if they can overpower the gin :)

[@HaphazardHomestead]

The aroma from the black locust flowers is really powerful. Outdoors, one tree can be almost overwhelming, like being in a perfume bottle. The gin is still there, though, lol. Now it has a flower kick! Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Give It A Grow! Enjoy all your plants and the changing of the seasons - and making your great videos of nature's beauty!

[@HikeLighter]

"Holy Smokes, Brain Freeze!" -- quote of the month!!

[@HaphazardHomestead]

:D

[@thegadgetrulez]

Watching from Rocking’n’Pine Glades! :) And the first view!

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Hey, Josh, what a nice surprise! You know the right place to be, for sure! You will probably be eating some wild food while you are there. :D A big "Howdy" to everybody!

[@allanisted2733]

thank you

[@GrandmaSandy]

I 'm a New Subscribed .

[@charitysmith5245]

Did that small jar come with the blender? Either way, that's super cool!

[@HaphazardHomestead]

That little blender jar is really handy! It came with my blender, way back in the 1970s. It's great for small amounts of things. That was before food processors and the Magic Bullet of today. I think you can still get plastic versions of them for a regular blender.

[@TheTinkerersWife]

This one sounds delicious. Say, what about using Redbud flowers? Just a thought.

[@mateo77ish]

Wow. Dig that blender.

[@rulistening7777]

Uhhh... I luv ya so much. 🙂🙂🙂😛🤪😂😜😋

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Maybe you would luv that black locust gin, too! :D

[@prometir]

🤣😍👍👏👏👏

[@seshadrisrinath]

Would this work with wisteria flowers ? I guess only 1 way to find out (unless you have done it) cos I dont have black locust trees, but plenty of wisteria in the spring.

[@excapeplan1282]

Girl I wanna party with you. 👍

[@HaphazardHomestead]

haha -- That black locust gin slushee would be great at a party! Better than a margarita! : )

[@excapeplan1282]

I have a great appreciation for wild weeds, edible creativity!!

[@rulistening7777]

NO NEW POSTS SINCE 2020. WHERE IS HOLLY ? IS EVERYTHING OK ?

[@HaphazardHomestead]

I just posted a new one yesterday, on Lobster mushrooms. I hope you enjoy it - and the bounty of nature around you this summer! Thanks for checking in, RU Listening!