Lavender Lemonade

Cool down on a hot day with an ice cold glass of Lavender Lemonade!

It’s been hot here. Really, really hot. Like bake cookies on your dashboard hot. (Seriously – I thought about trying it.) So hot that I’ve been drinking iced tea by the pitcher-full. As I was emptying yet another box of tea bags yesterday, I came to the realization that  it was time to try another summertime drink, and the words “lavender” and “lemonade” popped into my mind. Since I bought a bag of dried lavender at an Indian spice market recently, I thought I’d brew up a batch. I did a quick Google search, and most of what was found was very sugar laden or required so many lemons that I would need my own backyard lemon tree. So I took what looked good in a few of the recipes and came up with my own. My house smelled heavenly for hours after I made it!

This Lavender Lemonade will help you keep your cool on sweltering days. It’s a fun drink to serve at garden parties, and it’s also a nice treat for picnics.

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Lavender Lemonade

Yields 4 servings

Author Dianne Wenz

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice about 4 medium lemons
• 1/4 cup dried lavender make sure it’s food grade
• 1/3 cup agave or more to taste
• 5 cups water

Instructions

1. In a small sauce pan, boil the lavender in the 5 cups of water. If you have a large loose leaf tea ball, you can place the lavender inside and brew it like a tea, or you can add it directly to the water and strain it later.
2. Once the water has boiled, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and let cool for about 30 minutes. (I did this primarily because I wasn’t sure if my pitcher was heat safe and I’ve cracked a couple of glass pitchers making iced tea.)
4. Pour the water into a pitcher through a fine mesh strainer to remove the lavender.
5. Add the lemon juice and agave to the water. More agave can be added to taste.
6. Chill the fridge for a few hours. Serve with lots of ice!