Love the scent of honeysuckle? Try foraging for these edible wildflowers and infuse them into a delicious flower liqueur– honeysuckle vodka!

Each spring, the woods behind our apartment turn white with honeysuckle blossoms, and it smells spectacular.

Did you, like me, grow up eating the tiny, minuscule drops of “honey” from honeysuckle?

If so, you may have also wished that you could somehow, possibly, get a bunch of these dainty flowers together and miraculously collect all of the sweet nectar.

I don’t know how many thousands (or millions) of flowers it would take to harvest a jar of honeysuckle nectar, and I’m not even sure it would be possible.

What I do know, however, is that you can preserve those delicious and edible flowers in vodka.  In doing so, you’ll infuse the vodka with both the delicate floral scent of the petals AND the taste of the nectar.

This honeysuckle vodka is a simple and easy way to savor these edible wildflowers.

P.S.– You can also make honeysuckle simple syrup!

Identifying Japanese Honeysuckle

There are many, many types of honeysuckle, but not every type has delicious nectar inside the flower.

When foraging, I look for Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica).

Japanese Honeysuckle is invasive, so you’re actually helping the environment by cutting it back.

See the photo above for help identifying honeysuckle.

Look for fragrant, tubular flowers. When they’re young, the flowers are white, but they turn yellow with age.

The flowers will be around 1 1/2″ long, with a 2-lipped, 5-lobed corolla (the petals).

They grow on a vine, and have long, ovate-shaped leaves that grow opposite from one another on the vine.

Where I grew up in West Virginia, Japanese honeysuckle was (and is) everywhere.  

In fact, I’ve never had to go looking for it, because it’s just always been there– a friendly, flowering spring welcome sign.   So I’m very comfortable identifying it.

If you did not grow up eating (and identifying) honeysuckle, buy a field guide to help you identify wildflowers. I recommend the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers.

How to Forage for Honeysuckle

Positively identify the plant as Japanese Honeysuckle.  If you aren’t positive, leave it.

Never harvest honeysuckle (or any wild plant that you intend to eat) from the side of a busy road or other high-pollutant areas.

If the plant isn’t on your property, make sure you have permission before harvesting.

Bees love honeysuckle too– be aware of where you’re placing your hands when picking flowers.

How to Harvest Honeysuckle

To harvest honeysuckle, grab a bucket (or some other large container) to drop the flower petals into.  Simply pinch the flower off the vine at the base, and make sure you get the entire flower.

If you want to taste the nectar as you go, pinch the bottom green part of the flower off, and pull it through the flower.  You should see a tiny little bead of nectar.

How many flowers should you gather?  

This recipe uses about two cups of flowers, but you could easily halve or double the recipe.  I usually just gather until I think I’ve got around two cups.

How to Clean Honeysuckle Flowers

Once you’ve gathered as many flowers as you want, bring them inside and clean them off.  

Fill a sink or bowl with cool water, and then dip the flowers, a couple at a time, into the cold water to rinse off dust or pollen from other plants.

Avoid running water over the flowers, because you could damage the flower or rinse off the nectar.  

Lay flowers out on a towel to dry.

How to Make Honeysuckle Vodka

Once your flowers have dried, put them in a glass jar.  

You want to fit as many flowers in your jar as possible, but you do not want to squash the flowers.

Next, you need orange zest.  

Wash an orange (preferably one with no wax), and use a vegetable peeler to remove the orange zest in long strips.  Avoid getting any of the white pith, because it will infuse your vodka with a bitter flavor.

Set the orange zest on top of the honeysuckle flowers in the jar.

Next, pour vodka into the jar until the flowers and orange zest are completely covered.  Seal the jar with a lid, and set it out of direct sunlight for 2-3 weeks.

Once the vodka has finished absorbing the flower flavor, strain out the flowers and orange peel by pouring the vodka through a mesh sieve.  

Next, you’ll heat water and sugar together to make a simple syrup.  Once the syrup cools, add it to the vodka gradually until you like the flavor.

How Do I Use Honeysuckle Vodka?

Sip it straight, or drink it on the rocks.

Want a cocktail?  Here are a few more ideas:

Use it to spike this lavender lemonade or a classic lemonade.

Make a tea hot toddy, use an herbal tea, and swap the honeysuckle for the whiskey or bourbon.

Add 1 oz of honeysuckle vodka to a glass of champagne, Prosecco, or sparkling wine

Mix the honeysuckle vodka with bourbon (1 part honeysuckle vodka, 2 parts bourbon).