Happy National Lemonade Day! Did you know such a day existed!? I sure didn’t, but I am more than happy to celebrate. Lemonade is hands down my favorite drink around. It is such a versatile drink- fancy enough to serve with my treasured meal of salmon with blueberry sauce and casual enough for a summer picnic beside peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And don’t even get me started on all the different specialty lemonade concoctions. Lemon seems to pair well with just about any other fruit… and even some things that aren’t fruit at all- like lavender!
When I first heard about lavender lemonade, I was skeptical. I adore the scent of lavender, but it was hard to think of pairing my favorite drink with an herb that I primarily use to scent my bath water for a relaxing soak or grow on my porch to keep bugs at bay. Yet, I kept hearing people rave about lavender lemonade and decided I had to give it a try.
I decided to use one of my go to recipes for homemade lemonade which calls for making a syrup of sugar and water. Once the syrup was made, I added dried lavender and allowed it to steep. Once the mixture had cooled, I strained out the lavender and added fresh squeezed lemon juice, zest and water, along with a few drops of red and blue food coloring to enhance the color. The finished product was both delicious and beautiful, and it is most definitely a drink worthy of mixing up as we celebrate National Lemonade Day.
If whipping up your own batch of homemade lemonade is not in the cards, there are plenty of other options for buying a cold glass of delicious lemonade. Pappadeaux at I-17, just north of Peoria Avenue, is currently serving an absolutely divine watermelon lemonade that I am anxious to try and recreate. Starbucks also has awesome lemonade. I love to order mine as a raspberry lemonade, blended. I have heard about a frosted lemonade at Chick Fil A that has my mouth watering… and recently, a friend told me that QuikTrip‘s frozen lemonade is worth a try too.
Check out the complete recipe for Lavender Lemonade below.
Lavender Lemonade
adapted from the New Better Homes and Gardens 75th Anniversary cookbook
- 2 ½ cups water
- 1 ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- dried lavender flowers
- red and blue food coloring
Lemonade Base: In a medium saucepan, combine water and sugar over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and add desired amount of lavender flowers. Remember, with lavender, a little goes a long way. I would suggest starting with about 1 tablespoon. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes. Strain syrup into a glass pitcher or jar and discard the lavender flowers. Add lemon zest and juice and stir. If desired, add a drop or two each of red and blue food coloring to achieve desired color.
To make a glass or pitcher of lemonade, combine equal parts lemonade base and water. Serve over ice with a slice of lemon and sprig of fresh lavender and enjoy!
How will you be celebrating National Lemonade Day? Feel free to share your best lemonade recipe or local drink stop in the comments below.