Pohutukawa Stamen Cordial

Pōhutukawa trees are bursting in bloom around Aotearoa.

These beautiful bright-red flowers are not just good to look at, you can use the stamens to make a vibrant red cordial perfect for your summer celebrations. Apparently it tastes like nectar and strawberry although I haven’t tried it as yet.

To make a litre of cordial you’ll need about 300 – 400 grams of pōhutukawa stamens – the long slender stalks in the middle of the flower.

Around the base of each pōhutukawa tree there are usually plenty of fallen blooms, use the freshest ones for your cordial. This recipe is from Forage and Find NZ, they are verified foragers of wild foods for hospitality in NZ.

Pohutukawa Stamen Cordial

A good handful of stamen

1L boiled water, 10% sugar

(Dissolve 100g sugar in 800ml water. After Completely dissolved adjust the volume to 1000ml)

Steep stamen overnight in solution

Strain then bottle

Consume with lemonade or bubbly

If anyone knows who took this lovely photo please let me know as I’d like to give them credit.