Sichuan Buzz Button Flower
This unique flower, native to Brazil, and also known as ‘electric daisy’ can give you one of the craziest taste experiences. We learned about it on a trip to Las Vegas this spring. The Cosmopolitan hotel’s Chandelier Bar has a secret menu from which you can order a ‘Verbena cocktail’ (a very tart, lemony margarita infused with herby verbena) which is accompanied by this unassuming, yellow flower.
Take a sip of the cocktail first, and experience the tartiness. Then chew on the flower, which has a bitterly strong, grassy taste, and once the oils of the flower have coated your tongue, you instantly experience the sensation of icy heat and constant salivation. Take another sip of the cocktail and its taste has transformed – it is suddenly sweet! The effects of the buzz button last no more than thirty minutes, enough time to enjoy your cocktail!
We found that these flowers were available on Amazon, so we ordered a pack for our house. They kept in the fridge for a few weeks. I recommend making this cocktail to try it out yourself!
