from the farm journal

How to make lavender syrup that actually tastes good

by jenny

so you keep seeing lavender syrup on menus and wondering what the deal is.

here's the deal: it's just simple syrup with lavender in it. floral, a little sweet, and if you do it right it tastes like... well, one of my customers says it's like adding sunshine to a cup of tea on a cold winter's day.

The number one mistake

using too much. too much lavender goes from lovely to soapy real fast. that's why i made mine a kit with everything pre-measured, so you can't mess it up.

What comes in the kit

our magic lavender syrup kit has everything you need: organic cane sugar, english culinary lavender, sea salt, and butterfly pea flower powder. you just add 1 cup of water, and one kit makes 10 to 12 ounces of syrup.

How to make it

1. take the little filter out of the kit and set it aside.
2. pour the mix into a saucepan and add 1 cup of distilled or filtered water.
3. heat gently, stirring often, until it just begins to boil.
4. take it off the heat, cover it, and let it steep for 15 minutes.
5. set the filter over a clean jar, pour the syrup through, and give it a gentle squeeze.
6. let it cool, cover, and refrigerate. it's good for about two weeks.

The color-changing magic

the butterfly pea flower is what makes it magic. it turns the syrup a gorgeous blue-purple, and when you add lemon it shifts toward pink right in front of you. every single time, people gasp a little.

My favorite ways to use it

lavender lemonade is my favorite. stir half a cup of syrup into a pitcher of lemonade and it makes you crave lemonade in a whole new way.

then there's the magic spritzer: a tablespoon or two of syrup in sparkling water with a squeeze of lemon, and you get to watch the color change in your glass.

it's also lovely in coffee, iced tea, cocktails, mocktails, and lattes, or drizzled over pancakes, oatmeal, yogurt, and ice cream.

Don't forget the sugar

we also make casper's stir crazy lavender sugar. same idea, simpler. stir it into tea or lemonade, sprinkle it over berries, or bake with it when you want a little lavender sweetness.

Why a kit instead of a bottle?

honestly, fresh is better, and this way it's fresh when you make it. once it's made, keep it in the fridge and it's good for about two weeks.

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