Lavender Lemonade
Meyer lemon lemonade with a whisper of Santa Barbara County lavender. Floral, tart, and cold, the prettiest pour at a Central Coast cookout.
Santa Barbara County is lavender country, and a light touch of it turns ordinary lemonade into something that tastes like the place. Built on Meyer lemons, which grow up and down the coast, it is softer and rounder than a hard, sour lemonade, and it photographs like a postcard.
Against a plate of smoky, charred tri tip, the job is contrast: cold, floral, and bright to lift the heaviness of the meat and the fire. Keep the lavender subtle. A whisper reads elegant, a heavy hand reads like soap.
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender
- 1 cup boiling water
- 4 cups cold water
- Lemon slices and ice, to serve
Instructions
- 1
Make a lavender syrup: steep the lavender and sugar in the boiling water for 10 minutes, then strain out the buds.
Ten minutes is plenty. Over-steeped lavender turns soapy, so pull the buds on time.
- 2
Stir the lavender syrup into the Meyer lemon juice, then add the cold water.
Meyer lemons are sweeter and less sharp than regular lemons, which is why this needs less sugar than standard lemonade.
- 3
Chill, then serve over ice with lemon slices and a few lavender buds on top.
A light hand on the garnish. The lavender is a whisper, not the whole drink.