Meadowsweet

Meadowsweet is the frothy, cream-white summer flower of Filipendula ulmaria, a wild herb of European damp meadows and streambanks. Its blossom smells of almond, honey and a cool wintergreen lift, while the crushed leaf and stem turn sharply astringent — a natural source of tannins and of salicylates, the compounds behind aspirin. Brewers, mead-makers and cordial cooks have used it for centuries to perfume and structure drinks, where it lends a marzipan-and-honey sweetness on the nose and a clean, tea-like grip that keeps sweet meads and creams from turning cloying.