How To Make: Lavender Soda + Lavender Syrup + Lavender Lemonade

Make sure to like Living Green and Frugally on Facebook, Shop at amazon to help support my site and explore our  PINTEREST BOARDS  for innovative ways you can become self-sufficient.

Lavender is not just a beautiful garden flower. With the right variety, it can also be turned into a wonderfully fragrant syrup that adds a delicate floral flavour to homemade soda, lemonade, iced tea, cakes and summer cocktails.

The secret is using culinary lavender and keeping the quantity modest. Too much lavender can make a drink taste soapy or bitter, but when it is balanced with sugar and fresh lemon, the flavour is light, refreshing and surprisingly delicious.

The lavender syrup recipe below is the base for all three drinks. Make one small batch, store it in the refrigerator, and you can prepare lavender soda or lavender lemonade whenever you fancy something different.

Before You Begin: Use the Right Lavender

Not every bunch of lavender is suitable for cooking. Only use lavender that is clearly labelled culinary or food-grade lavender.

Lavender sold for crafts, decorations or fragrance may have been treated with chemicals that are not approved for food. You should also avoid using lavender essential oil in these recipes. Essential oils are extremely concentrated and many products are not intended for consumption.

English lavender, often sold as Lavandula angustifolia, is normally the best choice for cooking. It has a sweeter, softer flavour than more strongly scented varieties.

You can use either dried or fresh flowers:

• Dried culinary lavender: Use approximately 2 tablespoons.
• Fresh culinary lavender: Use approximately ¼ cup of flower buds.

If you would like to grow more useful herbs at home, have a look at 5 Easy-to-Grow Plants for Making Your Own Tea. Lavender is one of the five plants included.

Recipe One: Homemade Lavender Syrup

This simple lavender syrup is the foundation for both the soda and the lemonade. It is similar to an ordinary simple syrup, but the lavender flowers are allowed to steep in the warm liquid.

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender buds
• 1 strip of lemon peel, optional
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, optional

Equipment

• Small saucepan
• Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
• Fine-mesh strainer
• Clean glass jar or bottle
• Small funnel, optional

Instructions

1. Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan.
2. Warm the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved. It does not need to boil vigorously.
3. Once the liquid is clear and the sugar has dissolved, remove the saucepan from the heat.
4. Stir in the culinary lavender. Add the strip of lemon peel if you would like a light citrus note.
5. Cover the saucepan and leave the lavender to steep for 10 to 20 minutes. Start tasting after 10 minutes. The flavour will become stronger the longer it sits.
6. Pour the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl or measuring jug. Do not press the flowers too firmly because this can release bitter flavours.
7. Stir in the teaspoon of lemon juice, if using. This helps brighten the flavour but is not essential.
8. Allow the syrup to cool completely before pouring it into a clean glass jar or bottle.

This recipe makes approximately 1½ cups of lavender syrup.

How Long Does Lavender Syrup Last?

Keep homemade lavender syrup covered in the refrigerator and use it within one to two weeks. Always use a clean spoon when removing syrup from the container.

Discard the syrup if it becomes cloudy, bubbly, develops an unusual smell or shows any sign of mould.

For longer storage, pour the syrup into an ice cube tray and freeze it. Once solid, move the cubes into a labelled freezer bag. A cube can then be dropped into lemonade, iced tea or sparkling water whenever needed.

Recipe Two: Easy Lavender Soda

Lavender soda is one of the quickest ways to use the finished syrup. There is no fermentation involved, so you do not need special bottles, yeast or a soda-making machine. Plain chilled sparkling water provides all the fizz.

Ingredients for One Glass

• 2 tablespoons lavender syrup
• 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup chilled sparkling water or club soda
• Ice cubes
• Lemon slice and fresh lavender sprig for decoration, optional

Instructions

1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of lavender syrup and the fresh lemon juice.
3. Slowly pour in the sparkling water. Pouring it gently helps preserve the bubbles.
4. Stir once or twice, then taste.
5. Add a little more syrup if you prefer a sweeter, stronger lavender flavour. Add extra sparkling water if it is too sweet.
6. Decorate with a thin lemon slice or a small sprig of fresh, untreated lavender.

For a large pitcher, combine 1 cup of lavender syrup, ½ cup of lemon juice and 6 cups of chilled sparkling water. Add the sparkling water just before serving so the drink remains fizzy.

If you enjoy experimenting with naturally flavoured drinks, you may also like this Fermented Rhubarb Honey Soda Recipe or these ideas for how to Make Your Own Soda Pop.

Recipe Three: Homemade Lavender Lemonade

Lavender lemonade is fresh, floral and perfect for picnics, garden parties or warm afternoons. The lemon prevents the lavender from becoming overpowering, while the syrup means there is no undissolved sugar collecting at the bottom of the jug.

Ingredients

• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¾ cup lavender syrup
• 3 cups cold water
• 1 to 2 cups ice
• Lemon slices, optional
• A few fresh mint leaves, optional

Instructions

1. Juice enough lemons to produce 1 cup of juice. This will normally require about five to seven medium lemons, depending on their size and juiciness.
2. Pour the lemon juice into a large pitcher.
3. Add ¾ cup of lavender syrup and 3 cups of cold water.
4. Stir thoroughly and taste the lemonade before adding the ice.
5. Add more lavender syrup if it is too tart, or additional water if the flavour is too strong.
6. Add the ice, lemon slices and mint immediately before serving.

This recipe makes approximately six servings. Keep any leftover lemonade covered in the refrigerator and use it within three days.

For a gently sparkling lavender lemonade, replace half or all of the still water with chilled sparkling water. Add it immediately before serving.

For another homemade version with a tangy twist, try this Probiotic Lemonade Recipe.

Simple Lavender Drink Variations

Once you have a jar of lavender syrup in the refrigerator, there are plenty of ways to use it.

Lavender and Berry Soda

Muddle two or three raspberries, strawberries or blackberries in the bottom of a glass. Add ice, lavender syrup and sparkling water.

Lavender Limeade

Replace the lemon juice with freshly squeezed lime juice. Lime has a sharper flavour, so begin with slightly less juice and adjust it to taste.

Honey Lavender Syrup

Replace half of the sugar with mild honey. Add the honey after removing the pan from the heat and stir until dissolved. A strongly flavoured honey may overpower the lavender.

Lavender Iced Tea

Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of lavender syrup to a glass of cold black tea, green tea or herbal tea. Finish with ice and a squeeze of lemon.

Adult Lavender Spritzer

Lavender syrup pairs well with gin, vodka or sparkling wine. Keep the syrup measurement small so the drink remains balanced rather than overly sweet.

Tips for the Best Lavender Flavour

• Begin with less lavender. You can steep the syrup for longer, but you cannot remove an overpowering flavour once it has developed.
• Do not boil the flowers for a long time. Extended boiling may make the syrup bitter.
• Taste during steeping. Dried lavender varies in strength, so time is only a guide.
• Use fresh lemon juice. Bottled juice can taste harsh in a simple drink where lemon is one of the main flavours.
• Chill everything first. Cold syrup, water and glasses help sparkling drinks retain their fizz.
• Add carbonation last. Stirring sparkling water too vigorously will quickly flatten it.
• Label your syrup. Write the preparation date on the jar so you know when it should be used.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using Decorative Lavender

Lavender from a florist or craft shop may not be food-safe. Use flowers grown without unsuitable pesticides or purchase lavender specifically labelled for culinary use.

Adding Too Many Flowers

Lavender is powerful. Adding a large handful does not necessarily produce a better syrup. It is more likely to create a bitter, perfume-like taste.

Steeping for Too Long

Leaving the flowers in the syrup for hours can overwhelm the delicate citrus flavour. Taste after 10 minutes and strain the syrup as soon as it reaches the strength you like.

Mixing the Soda Too Early

Prepare the syrup and lemon mixture in advance, but wait until serving time to add sparkling water. Otherwise, the soda may be flat by the time it reaches the table.

Expecting Bright Purple Syrup

Natural lavender syrup is often pale gold, amber or slightly pink rather than purple. The exact colour depends on the flower variety. There is no need to add food colouring unless you particularly want a purple drink.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make lavender syrup with fresh lavender?

Yes. Use approximately ¼ cup of fresh culinary lavender buds in place of 2 tablespoons of dried buds. Rinse them gently and check for small insects before adding them to the syrup.

Can I reduce the amount of sugar?

You can reduce it slightly, but sugar provides sweetness, body and helps the syrup keep longer. A lower-sugar version should be refrigerated and used more quickly.

Can I use bottled lemon juice?

Fresh lemon juice gives the best flavour, especially in lemonade. Bottled juice will work in an emergency, but it may taste sharper or slightly artificial.

Why does my lavender syrup taste bitter?

The flowers may have been too strong, steeped for too long or boiled excessively. Dilute the syrup with additional plain simple syrup, lemon juice or water.

Can children drink lavender soda?

A lightly flavoured soda made with food-grade culinary lavender can be served as an occasional sweet drink. Keep the lavender flavour mild and check for any known plant allergies.

Can the syrup be canned for shelf storage?

This recipe has not been tested for home canning, so it should not be stored at room temperature. Refrigerate it or freeze it in small portions.

Does lavender soda contain caffeine?

Not unless you mix it with a caffeinated drink such as black tea. Lavender syrup, sparkling water and lemonade are naturally caffeine-free.

Final Thoughts

A single batch of homemade lavender syrup gives you three easy summer treats. Use it with sparkling water for a quick lavender soda, combine it with fresh lemons for a colourful pitcher of lemonade, or spoon a little into tea, desserts and cocktails.

The most important thing is to use genuine culinary lavender and keep the flavour subtle. When lavender, sweetness and lemon are properly balanced, the finished drink tastes fresh and floral without becoming overpowering.