Candied Violets with Sparkling Wine

This article is also available in Deutsch.

A truly festive drink is this sparkling wine with candied violets—ideal for a spring brunch or to make an impression on guests.

The slightly sweet taste that the candied violets contributes to the sparkling wine, and the wonderful, flowery fresh violet scent, make you want to enjoy the springtime. 

Enjoy the gorgeous sun is warming your skin and letting your soul dangle with a glass of this delicious treat! Try it out and let yourself be enchanted!

Check out my blog post about: Candied violets, Empress Sissi's favorite sweet treat if you fancy making them yourself. 

Jump to:

• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🔪 Instructions
• 📖 Variations
• 🌡️ Storage
• 💭 Top tip
• 🧐 Interesting Facts About Violets
• 🤎 You might also like
• 📖 Recipe
• ⛑️ Food Safety
• 💬 Comments

🥘 Ingredients

• Sparkling wine, champagne, or prosecco
• Candied violets - homemade or store-bought

See the recipe card for quantities.

🔪 Instructions

Depending on the number of guests, take one or more champagne glasses and place a candied violet in each glass. 

To show a good comparison between purchased and homemade, I have prepared two champagne glasses for you—one with a homemade candied violet and the other with a purchased one. 

Now fill the glass(es) ⅔ full of sparkling wine, prosecco, or champagne. 

The champagne glasses should not be filled more than about ⅔. This leaves enough space in the glass for the bouquet of sparkling wine to develop. Because what we smell also influences the taste.

The coloring of the sparkling wine occurs very quickly—the more vital color from the purchased ones, the less strong from the homemade ones.

The sparkling wine with the purchased candied violets is sweeter but less intense in terms of taste. 

If you'd like to make candied violets yourself, check out my blog post and follow the easy step-by-step instructions. 

Serve finger foods, delicious chocolate cake, or cookies with this delicious drink.

📖 Variations

The easiest way to vary this drink is to use different " bubbly wine": Sparkling wine, champagne, or prosecco. 

The main difference between Prosecco Champagne and sparkling wine is the nomenclature. Sparkling wine is an effervescent wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide. Both Champagne and Prosecco are types of sparkling wines; Prosecco has an Italian origin while Champagne has a French origin.

Although both Prosecco and Champagne are sparkling wine, there is a difference between them in terms of production of methods, types of grapes, as well as origins.

Source: pediaa.com

🌡️ Storage

Serve the drink cold. Store the candied violets in an airtight container.

💭 Top tip

Do not use violet syrup for this recipe. The syrup has a very strong, sweet aftertaste that is too intrusive. 

This drink focuses on a violet note that flatters the sparkling wine and does not dominate the taste with too many other ingredients.

Consider using violet syrup for cocktails. 

🧐 Interesting Facts About Violets

When are violets in season?

The flowering season is mainly from March to May. Occasionally, however, you can find flowering specimens even in late summer.

Characteristics of violets

• antibacterial
• cough suppressant
• analgesic
• soothing
• cooling 

Health, Home & Remedies

• Violet plants contain saponins as well as the alkaloid violin, and thus are used as a mild, natural remedy for coughs, especially catarrh and bronchitis.
• But it can also help with phlegm, headaches or sleep disorders.
• Medicinally, it is used as a possible remedy for milk frost, diaper dermatitis and other skin ailments.
• For this purpose, parts of the shoots are used in pastes and ointments. In addition, violet plants are also believed to have anti-cancer properties.
• The flowers have also been used for a long time in the production of perfume.

Source: Guteküche.at

How to use in the kitchen

• Syrup is easy to prepare
• As an addition to salad
• Candied violets as cake decoration
• Candied violets for drinks

Empress Sissi and the candied violets

Despite Empress Sissi's strict diet, she was crazy about candied violets and purple ice cream. The imperial court supplier and confectioner Demel, directly opposite the Hofburg, supplied it to her regularly.

"The legend goes that once upon a time in the Prater, when a young lad discovered the first violet in bloom that year, he covered it with his hat. When Empress Sisi passed by on her daily ride, he presented her with the violet. In gratitude, Sisi gave him her riding glove."

📖 Recipe

⛑️ Food Safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.