TikTok Tuesday: The Black-Eyed Susan Cocktail

@wdcgardener In the mood for a #cocktail? Try out the Black-eyed Susan, official drink of the Preakness Stakes and named after Maryland’s state flower. #gardendc ♬ original sound - Kathy Jentz

By Molly Cuddy

For a garden media event we attended last Tuesday at Ladew Topiary Gardens in Harford County, we decided to make a cocktail inspired by the Maryland State Flower, the Black-Eyed Susan. We were inspired by this recipe, but switched up a few ingredients of the drink to make it closer to the "Official Drink of the Preakness" version.

For our recipe, you’ll need:

• Vodka

• St Germain Elderflower Liqueur

• Lime juice (fresh-squeezed, if you have it)

• Orange juice, mixed with pineapple juice

• Maraschino cherries for a garnish

You can check out our TikTok video here to see how we make this drink. We didn’t use any exact measurements, but it still turned out wonderfully and everyone enjoyed the drink.

For anyone who may not be 21, or for those who don’t/can’t drink, we also crafted a non-alcoholic version of this drink. Add the orange juice and lime juice, and top it with some club soda. And make sure to garnish it with a cherry!

Hopefully, in the future, we’ll have some more flower-inspired cocktail recipes we can post! Until then, enjoy the Black-Eyed Susan and let us know if you try it.  

About the Author Molly Cuddy is a journalism major at the University of Maryland, College Park, and an intern this summer with Washington Gardener. She is also a campus tour guide and will be a teaching assistant for a professional writing class next semester.

Plant Profile: Black-eyed Susan

The Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) is the Maryland state flower and is a native North American wildflower. It has one of the longest bloom periods of any perennial and can flower from July through September and beyond.

Deadheading will extend the bloom time. Rudbeckia is an excellent cut flower and can be used dried in arrangements as well.

  It prefers full sun, but can thrive and flower in part-sun situations. It is quite hardy and drought-tolerant, once established, and is not picky about soil types. There is no need to add any artificial fertilizer to it, instead I give them a thin layer of compost each spring.

Rudbeckia form clumps and can spread by runner or by re-seeding. It grows to about two to three feet wide by about as high. Black-eyed Susans are easy to dig and divide it to share with other gardeners.

   Butterflies and other wildlife are big fans of this flower. Leave the seedheads up for winter garden interest and to feed the birds.

   It is attractive massed in sunny flower borders or in a woodland garden. It pairs well with Echinacea, Yarrow, tall Sedums, Asters, Russian Sage, and ornamental grasses.

   There are many lovely cultivars of the Rudbeckia species. Three I like a lot are 'Goldsturm', ‘Maya’, and ‘Indian Summer’.

Rudbeckia: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.
It was shot and edited by intern Alexandra Marquez.
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