Title basically. I’m a bartender and it’s a classic trick we all do to keep our mint from looking wilted. But how does that work? How does submerging mint in ice cold water and then into hot water make it spring back into life?
In: 8
Mints are extremely hardy little herbs that go completely into a state of dormancy when cold. In a sense, you’re pausing the mint’s life cycle or at least slowing it down.
So, shocking is pretty much you’re tricking the mints to react in its natural environment. First, it thinks it’s winter and reacts naturally when it’s very, very cold. It goes into a cycle of dormancy to conserve energy preventing wilting and decay. Second, the ice also naturally keeps it from decaying, so the mints conserve energy to its maximum effectiveness preventing its decay, and the ice-cold water also effectively freezes the plant.
So, you’re taking advantage of the mint behavior as well as the cold, and in a sense, you are effectively preventing the mints from aging or aging incredibly slowly.
When you place it in hot water not only will you shock the plant into thinking it’s warmer such as spring or summer and ready to leave dormancy and bloom. This also allows the plant to suck up the water as you’ll be leaving it in there for some time which mints really, really love water and the mints will grow exceptionally fast.
Because of this, it becomes healthy, happy, and ready for your cocktails for the next several days. Happy shaking!
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