A buzz button cocktail is any drink served with the flower head of Acmella oleracea, a small yellow and red bud that bartenders also sell as a Szechuan button, electric button or electric daisy. You chew the bud, take a sip, and the drink lands on a mouth that is fizzing and watering. Saveur compared the feeling to Pop Rocks, a Champagne-like crackle that fades into a cool numbness. The flower has nothing to do with Sichuan peppercorns. The name comes from the similar tingle.
The buzz comes from one compound, and that same compound sits in a root from Central Mexico. That root is what goes into Dragon Breath.
Why a buzz button drink tingles
The flower holds spilanthol, a fatty acid amide from the alkamide family. Spilanthol is also called affinin, and the two names describe the same molecule. Specialty Produce, a supplier that sells the fresh flowers to chefs, says spilanthol is taken up through the soft tissue of the mouth and acts on the trigeminal nerve, which sets off the rush of saliva. That rush is why a sip right after a bud feels bigger and juicier than the drink alone.
The same molecule turns up in a different plant. Chilcuague (Heliopsis longipes), also called golden root or raíz de oro, grows in the Sierra Gorda of Guanajuato, Querétaro and San Luis Potosí. Lab work using HPLC measured 6.9 to 8.5 mg of affinin per gram of chilcuague root, about 0.7 to 0.85% of the root by weight, alongside other alkamides and 28 volatile compounds. Both plants are in the daisy family. One gives you a flower that lasts days. The other gives you a root that can be extracted and bottled.
How bartenders use buzz buttons
There are three common methods, and they differ mostly in how strong the buzz is and how much prep they take.
- Garnish and chew. The bud floats on the drink or sits on the rim. You chew it slowly, wait a few seconds for the tingle to build, then sip. Mariena Mercer at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas served her Verbena cocktail this way.
- Muddle or shake. Petals go into the shaker. The buzz is gentler and comes and goes through the drink.
- Infuse. Buds steep in a spirit, syrup or citrus juice for four hours or longer so the tingle spreads evenly. Citrus infusions lose the electric feel within a few days.
Some bars dry the buds and grind them into salt. In 2017 Austin Hartman, beverage director at Montana's Trail House in Brooklyn, told Punch he gave up on muddling fresh buds because their strength was inconsistent and their shelf life too short. He dehydrated them overnight, mixed the powder with salt and put it on half the rim of a tequila and sparkling rosé cava drink.
The trouble with fresh flowers
Hartman's complaint is the one most home cocktail makers run into. Specialty Produce says whole flowers are best used right away and keep 2 to 4 days in a sealed container in the fridge. Most grocery stores don't carry them, so you are ordering from a specialty supplier, waiting for a box, and then racing the clock. Each bud also varies. One gives a strong jolt, the next one barely registers.
If you want the buzz on a Tuesday night when the box hasn't arrived, a fresh flower is no use.
“Oh wow, the saliva flow.”
Dragon Breath gives you the buzz from your pocket
Dragon Breath is a 50 ml chilcuague extract mouth spray. The root is wild-harvested in Central Mexico from growth zones the Mara team selects with the help of local elders, then dual-extracted in organic solutions. One spray into your mouth gives a bright electric buzz across the tongue and mouth. For a second it tastes earthy and a little peppery, then the tingle takes over, your mouth waters fast, and a clean, fresh feeling lingers after.
That is the sequence a buzz button cocktail is built around, and you get it every time you press the pump. A customer filmed a first spray on camera, and the first words out were "Oh wow, the saliva flow." That rush of saliva is the moment a bartender wants to hit right before your first sip.
A spray also beats the flower on the practical side:
- It fits in a pocket or a clutch, so it comes to the bar with you.
- A bottle holds 250+ sprays, and a few sprays is all a night takes.
- The extract stays sealed in Miron violet glass, which keeps light and air off it. A fresh bud starts wilting the day it is picked.
- Every spray is the same strength, so the first drink and the fourth feel alike.
For more on the plant behind it, our guide to chilcuague, the golden root of Central Mexico covers where it grows and how it was used in Mexican tradition.
Dragon Breath – Chilcuague Extract
50 ml mouth spray. Wild-harvested chilcuague root, dual-extracted. 250+ sprays.
Add to bagThree ways to use it with a drink
Keep it simple. Spray into your mouth, never onto the glass or into the drink.
- Margarita. One spray, wait about five seconds for the tingle to spread, then take your first sip. Lime and salt hit a watering mouth, and the drink tastes brighter and sharper.
- Mezcal, neat. One spray before the first sip. The smoke and the earthy, peppery note of the root sit well together, and the buzz carries into the finish.
- Gin and tonic or a highball. One spray, then sip. The bubbles and the tingle stack on each other, the same effect Hartman got by pairing his button salt with sparkling cava.
Start with one spray. Once you know the feeling, you can go up to five. If the first buzz fades halfway through the drink, a second spray brings it back. It works the same with a mocktail or sparkling water if you aren't drinking.
Dragon Breath is vegan, gluten free, sugar free and non-GMO. If you have read about spilanthes as a tincture and wonder how it compares, our spilanthes tincture guide covers the flower-based extracts.
Dragon Breath considerations
The product page recommendation: "If you're pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or allergic to plants in the daisy family, ask your doctor before using it."
Questions people ask about the buzz button cocktail
What is a buzz button?
A buzz button is the flower head of Acmella oleracea, also sold as a Szechuan button, electric button or electric daisy. Chewing one makes your mouth tingle and water because of spilanthol.
Is a Szechuan button cocktail the same as a buzz button cocktail?
Yes. Szechuan button and buzz button are two names for the same flower, so the drinks are the same idea under different names.
How long does a fresh buzz button last?
Specialty Produce says 2 to 4 days in a sealed container in the fridge, and they are best used right away. A Dragon Breath bottle holds 250+ sprays and stays sealed in Miron violet glass.
Can I get the buzz button effect without the flower?
Yes. Chilcuague root contains affinin, the same compound as spilanthol, and Dragon Breath puts it in a pocket spray. One spray into your mouth before the first sip gives the same electric buzz across the tongue and mouth.
