By Colleen Luckett

Hot, summer weather is looming just around the corner, and soon we’ll be loading up our glasses with ice to keep our thirst quenched. Today, we’ll give you some ideas for dressing up your drinks with ice cubes to keep things fun – with edible flowers, fruits, and herbs!

Edible flowers are great for adding a shot of whimsy to drinks at parties or just for use in your own delicious concoction. They have a long history, with the first recorded mention in 140 B.C. Even today rosewater and orange flower water are used daily in many Middle Eastern and south Asian homes.  Commonly used flowers are orchids, nasturtiums, pansies, and snapdragons grown to be eaten.

The trick to beautiful flower-filled ice cubes is to build them in layers, so you’ll need a bit of patience to get it just right. Check out Martha Stewart’s Floral Ice Cubes recipe for some good tips. So pretty! Here’s another informative recipe: Blossom Ice Cubes at WikiHow. They suggest using fun-shaped ice cube trays like hearts or flowers to dress up your party drinks. Don’t miss their interesting tip for punch bowl ice at the bottom!

How about adding a little healthy oomph to your ice cubes? Try fresh herbs! Go crazy with the likes of basil, chives, cilantro, fennel, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme – really, any herb you find especially delicious. The trick with herbal ice cubes is to use boiling water, as this well help lock in the flavor.  For more info, try this Herbal Ice Cubes recipe.

We like using fruits in our cubes. They're especially great for those who don’t really like drinking water . . . a juicy berry might make it a little more appealing! Use smaller berries, such as raspberries and blueberries, like those in the photo. And make sure you wrap your drink with a Thinsulate-insulated Kup Kollar to keep your drinks colder, longer in the hot sun!

There are even more fun things to do with ice, such as adding celery leaves, making coffee ice for your iced coffee so it doesn’t get watered down, and even using gummy worms for your little ones. Check out these and several other delightful ideas, also from Martha Stewart.

There you have it! Did you ever think there were so many things to do with ice?! Do you have any other fun ideas? Lay ‘em on us in the comments below!