Lavender Lemonade

Ingredients

For the Pitcher (6 servings):

• 1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender flowers
• 6 cups water, divided (1 cup for syrup, 5 cups cold for lemonade)
• 2 tablespoons dried pea flowers (optional, for color)
• Ice, for serving
• Fresh lavender sprigs or lemon slices, for garnish (optional)

For a Single Serving:

• Juice from 1 large lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon dried culinary lavender flowers
• 1¼ cups water, divided (¼ cup for syrup, 1 cup cold for lemonade)
• ½ teaspoon dried pea flowers (optional, for color)
• Ice, for serving
• Fresh lavender sprig or lemon slice, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

For the Pitcher Version:

1. Make the Lavender Syrup In a small saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, 1 cup of water, and the dried lavender flowers. Place over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally until the sugar has completely dissolved, about 3-5 minutes. Don't let it boil hard. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature, about 20-30 minutes. Once cooled, strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl or jar to remove all the lavender flowers. Press on the flowers gently to extract all the syrup. You now have homemade lavender syrup!
2. Prepare the Pea Flower Tea (Optional) If you're using pea flowers for that beautiful blue-purple color, place the dried pea flowers in a heat-safe measuring cup or small bowl. Pour 1 cup of very hot (just-boiled) water over them and let them steep for 5-10 minutes. The water will turn a gorgeous deep blue color. Strain out the flowers and set the blue tea aside to cool.
3. Juice the Lemons While the syrups are cooling, juice your lemons. You'll need about 6 large lemons to get 1 cup of fresh juice. Roll the lemons on the counter with your palm before cutting to help release more juice. Strain out any seeds.
4. Mix the Lemonade In a large pitcher, combine the fresh lemon juice and 5 cups of cold water. Pour in all of your cooled lavender syrup and stir everything together really well. Taste it at this point. If you want it sweeter, you can add a bit more sugar (dissolved in a little warm water first). If it's too sweet, add more lemon juice or water.
5. Add Color (Optional) If you made the pea flower tea, slowly pour it into your lemonade while stirring. Watch the color change! Add as much or as little as you want to achieve your desired shade of purple-blue. The acidity from the lemon juice will react with the blue tea and create that pretty purple color.
6. Chill and Serve Refrigerate the lemonade for at least 30 minutes to get it nice and cold, or serve immediately over lots of ice in tall glasses. Garnish each glass with a fresh lavender sprig or a lemon slice on the rim. Enjoy!

For the Single Serving:

1. Follow the same process but with the single-serving measurements. Make the lavender syrup with 3 tablespoons sugar, ¼ cup water, and ½ teaspoon lavender. Let cool and strain.
2. If using pea flowers, steep ½ teaspoon in ¼ cup hot water for 5 minutes, then strain.
3. In a large glass, combine the juice from 1 lemon, 1 cup cold water, and all the lavender syrup. Stir well.
4. Add the pea flower tea if using, fill with ice, and garnish. Enjoy!