There is nothing more refreshing than cold lavender lemonade on a hot summer day. And the days have been getting hotter.
Homemade summertime lavender lemonade is super easy to make. You start with a lavender flavored simple syrup (liquid sweetener) made with three ingredients: sugar, water, and dried lavender.
It’s perfect for sweetening and flavoring hot and cold drinks, as well as desserts and mix drinks. They’re excellent for iced beverage since it’s liquid and will mix easily into the all drinks.
Create this beautiful aromatic sweet floral syrup in just a few quick steps. You can also use it to add some to a variety of recipes like mock/cocktails, cakes and sorbets.
You want to look for dried lavender flowers or buds that are food-grade. You can pick these up a your local herb shop or coop, or grow them in your home garden. Never use dried lavender from flower shops since they’re likely loaded with pesticides and are not food grade.
I like to use regular white sugar so I get a little bit of a purple color in my simple syrup. You can also use brown sugar but that’ll change the color of the syrup to brown. It will taste delicious either way.
Lavender Simple Syrup Recipe
- Dried Lavender buds
- White or Brown Sugar
- Water
- Small Sauce Pan
- Metal Strainer
- Air tight container
Place all ingredients (equal parts sugar and water) in a saucepan and simmer 2-3 minutes. Stir until sugar dissolves completely. Take off heat and steep for 10 minutes. Strain the lavender out by using a mesh strainer using a funnel if needed and pour syrup into an airtight container. This will store in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks in a sealed container.
Yah you did it! Pretty simple right?
Now you know the process you can get super creative. Try using roses, hibiscus, mint, lime,…the list is endless. You can use almost any fruit, herb, or spice or maybe experiment with a combination. Also try using different sweeteners, as they too, will offer up different notes of flavor.
Now here are some other ideas for how to use your simple syrup.
- Add lavender syrup in sparkling water to make lavender flavored soda.
- You can pour your syrup in steamed or warm milk to make an instant lavender tea latte. Top with some lavender buds for a beautiful presentation.
- Try making a lavender flavored lemonade by following the recipe below.
Summertime Lavender Lemonade
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup lavender simple syrup ( see below on how to make this simple syrup)
4 cups of cold filtered water
Mix together and serve over ice or in a chilled glass.
This recipe makes a large pitcher to share with friends and loved ones.
Enjoy!