Who doesn’t love a nice refreshing lemonade on a bright and sunny day? There are so many ways that you can mix up a different lemonade by adding different fruits and even herbs. If you’ve never considered lavender, then strap yourself in for your new favorite additive to a classic.
The key to making your lemonade cocktail chock full of flavor is to make a simple syrup with the lavender. Feel free to leave out the alcohol if you like, it doesn’t make it any less delicious. This is a great recipe to keep in mind for brunches or gatherings, and is sure to wow your friends and family.
Lavender Lemonade Vodka Cocktail
This is a really simple recipe that you can make in minutes if you have the right ingredients, none of which are very exotic or hard to find.
The ingredients you will need are a few lemons, water, vodka, ice and a lavender simple syrup. Don’t worry, keep reading and we will give you the recipe for the syrup.
It is just as easy as mixing all the ingredients together and pouring into a glass, preferably with ice!
Lavender Simple Syrup Recipe
This is a quick and easy recipe to follow that you can add into drinks as you see fit. It only requires three ingredients:
1. Sugar
2. Water
3. Lavender (Be sure to get cooking grade lavender. If not, it could have pesticides or other nasty things in it that you don’t want to be consuming.)
Get a small sauce pan and add your sugar and water in a 1:1 ratio. Turn it to medium low heat and stir it from time to time until the sugar is completely dissolved. When you can’t see the sugar anymore, reduce the heat to a low simmer and add your lavender. Let this mixture sit undisturbed for about five minutes to let the flavors marry before straining out the flowers.
Where Can I Find Culinary Lavender?
Keep your eyes open because this is an uncommon additive to foods, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find. Your grocery store, specialty food shop, or local health and wellness center might carry some. If you strike out on these locations you can use one of the countless online retailers that to order from. If all else fails then use lavender tea as a substitute.
The main difference between culinary lavender and lavender you might find at the gardening center is the use of pesticides. Culinary lavender isn’t treated with harmful chemicals so it is actually safe to consume. If you happen to grow your own lavender and don’t administer pesticides to it, feel free to toss some of that in your recipe
More Lavender Syrup Uses
Because you need only a small amount of this potent syrup in your lemonade, you will likely be left with an excess. Not to worry, there are plenty of other things to which you can add this delicious and refreshing sweetener.
Add to other cocktails for an exciting new twist!
It goes well with any riff on lemonade and will help to reduce the added sugar.
The lavender flower is known for its calming effects, so add it to your tea.
It is possible to add to your coffees or lattes for an interesting new flavor.
If you are looking for a refreshing spring or summer flavor to your poached fruit, add this to the poaching liquid.
This is a great additive to smoothies or yogurt parfaits, with a touch of honey as well.
If you have a cake that has dried out, try adding this to bring it back to life and make it nice and moist!
The possibilities are endless. Lavender is an extremely versatile ingredient that you probably have never considered before!
Cocktail Tools
If you are trying to equip yourself to start whipping up cocktails, then you should consider getting a few of the following tools to make sure that you are a prepared bartender at gatherings and parties:
If you don’t like squeezing citrus by hand or just want to get the most juice from one, then consider investing in a citrus press. They are inexpensive and very useful in the kitchen as well.
To separate ice or other ingredients that you don’t want to be served into a glass, then a cocktail strainer is absolutely necessary. If you are in a pinch, then a fine sieve works miracles as well.
For large gatherings and batches of cocktails then consider a pitcher or a cocktail pitcher. Make sure that it can hold up to a pint of your concoction. (2 cups)
For cocktails that need a little more care and attention you will likely need a cocktail stirrer. These are long and skinny spoons meant for mixing, but some have a muddler on the other end, which makes it a great multi use tool.
To ensure the utmost perfection when mixing cocktails you have to use the right measurements. Investing in a jigger will keep your cocktails balanced. If you don’t have one you can use kitchen tools like a measuring cup.
Premade Lemonade?
If you don’t have the time to mix up your own lemonade and have a nice brand that you prefer, feel free to use it. Just be mindful about the sugar content. Because simple syrup is just sugar and water, it might be overly sweet if you use a lemonade that is already sweetened.
Are There Other Simple Syrups?
Simple syrups are a flexible tool for mixing cocktails. You aren’t limited to just lavender or a plain simple syrup. You can add tons of ingredients including fruits, herbs, and other flowers, such as violets or hibiscus as well. If you are feeling a bit more adventurous, you could even substitute the sugar with honey and follow the same steps above. With so many different ingredients and combinations of flavor, the possibilities are endless!