Use these beautiful clove orange rose ice cubes in your favorite citrus cocktails to add a little holiday spirit! They’re so easy to make and require only a few oranges, a handful of cloves, and a splash of water.
I made these beautiful ice cubes specifically for my Pomander cocktail, but they are such lovely additions to so many cocktails! I particularly love them in whisky cocktails, but they’re also perfect in sparkly spritzes, gin drinks, or even mocktails!
The rose freezes above the ice, so when you add the ice cube to a drink, it floats above the cocktail in the glass. You can also use blood oranges for a deep red “rose.”
What You’ll Need
All you need is an ice cube tray, cloves, oranges, and a good, sharp knife. I got my oversized ice cube tray on Amazon, and used navel oranges because their skin isn’t as thick as larger varieties, so they’re easier to bend into “petals.”
To make 6 ice cubes, you’ll require 2 oranges to make the clove slices, and 1-2 more to add the other “petals.” You’ll also require about 2-3 tablespoons of cloves.
How to Make the Ice Cubes – Step by Step
1. Around half of 1 orange, pierce cloves in a straight line, starting with a line in the center, then 2 on each side. Make sure your lines of cloves have a little bit of space between them. Don’t try to pierce the cloves all the way around, or you’ll crush some of them when you’re ready to slice them.
2. Use a sharp knife to cut between the clove lines into 3 slices.
3. Slice each in half. Set clove slices aside and repeat with 1 more orange, so you have 6 nice clove slices. Set the non-clove slices aside.
4. Slice 1-2 more oranges into very thin slices, and cut them in half. You’ll want to have 18 non-clove slices in total.
5. In your ice cube tray, bend one of the orange slices into the upper right corner of one cube.
6. Bend another slice into the lower left corner of the cube.
7. Gently bend a clove slice, and place it into the upper left corner of the cube, nestled within the other slices.
8. Loosely fold another orange slice by rolling one side over the other.
9. Place the rolled orange slice into the empty part of the cube beside the clove slice. Gently tuck it in securely.
10. Fill ice cube tray only halfway up the roses, and freeze for at least 4 hours. Remove, and add to your favorite citrus cocktail.
Recipe Notes
1. To ensure the roses are sitting nicely above the ice cube, you may need to shimmy the “petals” up a little in the ice cube tray. I used 2 toothpicks to place on either side of the rose and gently raise it up.
2. Don’t slice your oranges first, then try to poke cloves into the slices. They’ll be way too flimsy, and you’ll just misshape them and squeeze the juice out if you try.
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More Creative Cocktail Garnish Inspiration
Clove Orange Rose Ice Cubes
Equipment
- 1 sharp knife & cutting board
Ingredients
- 4 navel oranges
- 2 tbsp. cloves
- water – enough to fill cubes halfway
Instructions
- Around half of 1 orange, pierce cloves in a straight line, starting with a line in the center, then 2 on each side. Make sure your lines of cloves have a little bit of space between them. Don’t try to pierce cloves all the way around the orange or you’ll crush some of them when you’re ready to slice them.
- Use a sharp knife to cut between the clove lines into 3 slices. Slice each in half. Set clove slices aside and repeat with 1 more orange so you have 6 nice clove slices. Set the non-clove slices aside.
- Slice 1-2 more oranges into very thin slices, and cut them in half. You’ll want to have 18 non-clove slices in total.
- In your ice cube tray, bend one of the orange slices into the upper right corner of one cube. Bend another slice into the lower left corner of the cube. Gently bend a clove slice, and place it into the upper left corner of the cube, nestled within the other slices. Loosely fold another orange slice by rolling one side over the other. Place the rolled orange slice into the empty part of the cube beside the clove slice. Gently tuck it in securely.
- Fill ice cube tray only halfway up the roses and freeze for at least 4 hours. Remove, and add to your favorite citrus cocktail.
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