Herbs and spices are a great way to add a lot of flavor to your every day beverages without adding a ton of extra sugar or unnecessary calories, and in some cases adding health benefits. Lavender lemonade is a great example of making something pedestrian way more interesting!
It's no secret that I love lavender as a flavor — I've used it in strawberry daiquiris and lavender earl grey ice cream. The trick to lavender is to use a light hand with it, too much can make the end result taste soapy.
Lavender has an intoxicating scent, with notes of floral, citrus, and fresh mountain air all combined in one beautiful little plant with sage colored needle shaped leaves that support daintily vibrant purple buds. The citrusy notes are what make the lavender pair so well with fresh lemonade. And of course, lavender has calming properties so if you need to chill out in more ways than one, this lavender lemonade should help you to get there.
If you need even more chill, a shot of vodka mixed in per glass (or to your desired level of tolerance!) is an even more fanciful way to enjoy this lavender lemonade from afternoon to evening.
Finding Food Grade Lavender
Not all lavender is created equal. For consumption, you must use nothing less than food grade lavender. Food grade means that the item in question is non-toxic and safe for human consumption.
I've found food grade lavender in health food stores with bulk sections and bulk spice sections, like The Fresh Market, Whole Foods, and smaller ones like 14 Carrot Whole Foods, which is local to me in Lexington, SC. It's also even easier to order food grade lavender online, and you can even order an entire assortment of other edible flowers, like calendula, rose hips, cornflower, and chamomille, along with the lavender buds.
Can you eat garden-grown lavender? The answer is it depends. If you trust that the lavender has not been sprayed for pesticides and is grown in a secure area where animals can't spray on it, sure. If you do this, make sure the nursery or lavender farm it came from didn't spray pesticides on it either, or plant it in your garden and wait a few years to make sure any pesticide residue has time to grow out of the plant. But I find it easier to use lavender buds that have been grown and plucked off the plant specifically for food use.
Lavender Lemonade
Ingredients
- 5 cups water divided
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon food grade dried lavender buds
- 1 lemon sliced into rounds for garnish
- butterfly pea flowers or violet food coloring optional
Instructions
- Bring 2 ½ cups water and sugar to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- Add the lavender buds and cover with a tight fitting lid. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for at least two minutes.
- Fill a pitcher with 2 ½ cups water and the lemon juice. Stir well.
- Use a mesh strainer to catch the lavender buds while adding the lavender-sugar mix to the water-lemon mix.
- Drop in the sliced lemon rounds for a fancy look, or cut a slice halfway into the round and perch on the side of the glass.
- Options: if you want your lavender lemonade to be lavender-colored, add a few whole dried butterfly pea flowers while the mixture is still warm. Or you can add a small dab of violet food gel for a more vivid color. Finally, add a shot of vodka per glass for a boozy kick.
Make it More Lavender
If you want to add a deeper purple to your lavender lemonade, butterfly pea flowers are a natural food coloring option. Though they color liquid blue when steeped, the addition of an acid (like lemon juice!) turns it from a deep blue to a vibrant purple.
Or if you want to go the easier route like I did for these photos, add however much violet-colored food coloring or food gel you desire to get your preferred shade.