Lavender Lemonade

Lavender Lemonade – an ice-cold glass will help you cool down on a hot summer’s day. It’s a refreshing drink that’s super easy to make with just a few ingredients. This recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

Lovely Lavender 

This recipe was originally created this recipe waaaaaay back in 2012 after I bought some food grade lavender at a spice shop. I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but I loved the idea of cooking with it. Most floral scents give me a headache (and don’t even get me started on perfume), but I love, love, LOVE lavender! It could be because it’s so calming. Or it could be that when I do get one of those headache, lavender helps to calm it. Lavender has so many uses, and I always have a bottle or two of essential oil on hand.

Lavender Lemonade

When I first created this drink, it was really, really hot. Like bake cookies on your dashboard hot. (Seriously – I had thought about trying it.) So hot that I had been drinking iced tea by the pitcher-full. As I was emptying yet another box of tea bags, I came to the realization that  it was time to try another summertime drink, and the lavender in my pantry popped into my mind.

Lemons and lavender pair so well together, so I decided to brew up a batch of lavender lemonade. 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.

8 years later, I’m caffeine-free, so my beloved iced tea is off the menu. I do make iced roobois tea, from time to time, but I plan on having lots of lavender lemonade at the ready in the fridge for the first sign of a heatwave.

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. Brew up a pitcher of it, and your house will smell heavenly!

How to Make Lavender Lemonade

It’s super easy to make this refreshing drink!

• First you place the lavender and water in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. If you have a tea ball for loose leaf tea, you can place your lavender in that. Otherwise you can add it directly to the water and use a fine-mesh colander to strain it later. 
• Once the mixture has boiled, you reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes. 

• Next you remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool for about half an hour. This is especially important if your pitcher isn’t heat safe. I’ve cracked a couple of glass pitchers making iced tea over the years!)
• If you used a tea ball for your lavender, remove it now. If you added the lavender directly to the water, use a fine mesh strainer to pour the mixture into your pitcher. 
• Finally, you add the lemon juice and agave nectar to the pitcher and stir to combine well.
• You  may be tempted to drink your lemonade right away, but it’s best to allow it to chill in the fridge for a few hours. 

Food Grade Lavender 

When buying lavender for your lemonade, make sure it’s food grade. You don’t want to end up dumping potpourri in your drink, and who knows what they spray on the other stuff.

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Lavender Lemonade

Yields 4 servings

Calories 85 kcal

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 medium pot over medium-high heat, 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.

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!

Other refreshing drinks you might enjoy include:

• Mocha Tahini Shake
• Carrot Cake Smoothie
• Snickerdoodle Smoothie
• Green Juice
• Hummus Shake