Made with fresh lemon juice, lavender simple syrup (which is unique and easy to make), and water, this Lavender Lemonade is a sophisticated and unique take on the summertime classic. It's a great blend of floral, sweet, and tangy flavors and is perfect for year-round entertaining. It's a great base for a mocktail or cocktail, too!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love It
- It's unique and sophisticated, adding a touch of elegance to your party or event.
- It's so easy to make and can be made in advance.
- The syrup can be made well in advance. Bonus: it freezes great!
PRO TIP:
Make the syrup and juice the lemons in advance.
Why Lavender Lemonade is a Good Drink for a Group
It's easy to double the recipe (or scale down the recipe for an individual serving).
It's inexpensive and uncomplicated to make.
You can easily adjust the sweetness level of the drink based on dietary preferences. See the Variations section below.
Ingredients
- Fresh Lemon Juice - Fresh lemon juice is ideal. If you don't want to juice lemons, I recommend the Santa Cruz Organic Lemon Juice, which can be found at most grocery stores and online.
- Lavender Simple Syrup - The lavender simple syrup takes about 30 minutes to make, so I recommend it be made ahead of time.
- Basic Simple Syrup - Optional - A basic simple syrup allows you more control over how intense the lavender flavor is and how sweet the lemonade becomes.
- Garnish Ideas - Edible flowers, fresh lemon slices, or fresh berries. If you have fresh lavender that hasn't been chemically treated (aka pesticide-free), it makes a beautiful garnish as well.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
In short, mix all the ingredients in a large pitcher and serve over ice. After it's mixed, taste for sweetness and adjust with additional simple syrup.
Yes, it really is that easy.
Additions / Substitutions / Variations
Make it spicy! Substitute half the water for ginger beer to make the lavender lemonade bubbly and spicy. FYI - Ginger beer and ginger ale are two different drinks. Ginger Ale vs Ginger Beer (A quick overview)
Low sugar variation: If you know some of your guests prefer lower sugar or options, you can make this with half the sugar or double the water and serve fresh lemons and additional sweeteners, such as ginger or cardamom simple syrup, on the side. This will allow guests to increase the sweetness to their preferences.
Store-bought lemonade with this lavender simple syrup mixed in also works great. Just make sure you taste the drink before serving it so it's not too sweet.
Related: Simple Syrups for drinks
My preferred store-bought lemonade brands
Newmans Own and Simply Lemonade are my favorites. But don't shy away from a can of frozen concentrate if you need to make things easier on yourself.
Helpful Hint:
Garnishing lemonades with fresh fruit often provides a pop of color that can make the drink visually stunning. The sweetness will make the lemonade taste more tart and tangy!
Coloring Lavender Lemonade Pink or Purple
First, do NOT* add food coloring to color the lavender lemonade. I've seen it go wrong so many times. Stick with a natural coloring like these suggestions.
Pink Lavender Lemonade: Add a few drops of hibiscus syrup, but go slowly. Hibiscus is a strong flavor and color. A few drops of beet juice can work, but add it drop by drop and taste often.
Purple Lavender Lemonade: Steep a strong cup of tea using Butterfly Pea Flower tea and add it slowly until you achive a light purple color.
Pro Tip: Pour a small glass of the lavender lemonade and test the color in a small amount. This will ensure you achieve your desired color and flavor without jeopardizing the whole pitcher.
*Editorial Note: Okay, fine fine. If you want to experiment with food coloring, just do it with a test batch and not right before your guests arrive. Otherwise you might have green lavender lemonade when your guests show up. Ask me how I know....
Advance Preparation / Storage
Advance Preparation - All the ingredients can be prepared in advance, such as juicing the lemons and making the lavender syrup. The lemonade drink can be pre-mixed the night before as well.
Storage - You can store the prepared lemonade in any air-tight food-grade glass or plastic container.
Equipment
Really, all that's needed is a large pitcher or drink dispenser. An electric juicer, like the Cuisinart electric juicer, will make your life easier if you cook with or use a lot of citrus juice.
FAQ
Culinary lavender is meant to be consumed and must conform to FDA food standards.
Lavender that isn't food-grade is produced or intended for other uses may have been chemically treated.
Read more here: Regular versus Culinary Lavender
Dried lavender can be found in the spice aisle of most grocery stores. Spice stores, such as Penzys, also sell it.
If you're buying lavender online, search for cooking or culinary-grade lavender, and buy something that comes in a foil or paper bag or glass jar. Lavender stored in clear plastic packaging loses flavor and, therefore, consistent quality fast.
Read more here: Brand Recommendations: Culinary Lavenders
For pink lavender lemonade, add a few drops of hibiscus syrup, but go slowly. Hibiscus is a strong flavor and color. A few drops of beet juice can work, but add it drop by drop and taste often.
For purple or lavender-colored lavender lemonade, add a small amount of Butterfly Pea Flower tea and add it slowly until you achieve a light purple color.
Pro Tip: Pour a small glass of the lavender lemonade and test the color in a small amount. This will ensure you achieve your desired color and flavor without jeopardizing the whole pitcher.
Rose Lemonade is a beautiful and delicious option. You can also steep hibiscus tea in regular lemonade for a hibiscus lemonade.
Tips
Juice the lemons well in advance and freeze the juice for up to 3 months.
Store fresh lavender like you'd store any other fresh flowers. Trim the stems just slightly, gently rinse, and then store the lavender in the fridge, in fresh water, in a glass jar.
Hosting Tips
If you're preparing for a large party and fridge space is limited due to the sheer amount of prep, I recommend making a concentrate using just the simple syrups and lemon juice, then mixing in the water just before serving on party day.
Cheers!
Susan
📖 Recipe
Lavender Lemonade
Equipment
- 1 Large pitcher
Ingredients
- 2 cups Lemon Juice
- 2 cups Lavender Simple Syrup
- 6 cups water or sparkling water
- simple syrup optional
Garnishes
- Fresh Lavender
- Sliced Lemons
Instructions
- Make the lemonadeMix the lavender simple syrup, lemon juice, and water in a large pitcher. Taste, and adjust the sweetness level by adding plain simple syrup or additional lavender simple syrup as needed until you reach the desired sweetness.
- Serve over ice.
- Optional - GarnishGarnish with fresh lavener and lemon slices
Notes
Nutrition
Ginny
This was delicious! I ended up not needing the extra simple syrup because the lavender syrup worked nicely.
Susan @ The James Street Home
That's great to know. That's how mine usually is too.
Dave
Lots of info here. Very good!
Susan @ The James Street Home
Thank you! I'm glad you found it helpful.