Lavender Honey Fizz Mocktail

Before you start

Lavender is a strong flavor that turns soapy if you use too much or steep it too long, so this fizz is built around restraint. A short steep in warm honey syrup draws out the sweet, herbal top notes without the camphor-like bitterness that comes later. Lemon brightens the floral side, and plenty of soda water keeps the drink light and refreshing instead of perfumed.

Use culinary-grade dried lavender, sold for cooking and free of the treatments sometimes used on decorative flowers. English lavender varieties have the sweetest flavor. Honey adds body and a gentle warmth, which suits lavender better than plain sugar. Once the syrup is made, each drink takes under two minutes.

Ingredients

• Lavender honey syrup (makes about 200 ml)120 ml (4 oz) water
• 1 tbsp (about 2 g) dried culinary lavender buds
• 170 g (½ cup) mild honey
• Drink25 ml (generous ¾ oz) lavender honey syrup
• 20 ml (¾ oz, scant) fresh lemon juice
• 150 ml (5 oz) chilled soda water
• 1½ cups ice cubes
• Garnish1 lemon wheel and a small lavender sprig — optional

Method

1. Bring the water to a simmer, take it off the heat and stir in the lavender buds. Steep for 10 minutes, no longer; taste at 8 minutes.
2. Strain out the buds through a fine strainer, pressing gently. Stir the honey into the warm lavender water until fully dissolved.
3. Let the syrup cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes, then transfer it to a clean jar.
4. Fill the highball glass with ice. Add the syrup and lemon juice and stir briefly to combine.
5. Top slowly with the soda water, pouring down the inside of the glass so it keeps its bubbles.
6. Give one gentle lift with the bar spoon from the bottom to mix without knocking out the fizz. Garnish with the lemon wheel and lavender.

Tips for success

• Measure the lavender by weight if you can. Buds vary in size, and an overfull spoon is the most common reason for a soapy syrup.
• Add the honey after steeping, not before. Honey's aroma fades with heat, and warm water dissolves it easily.
• Keep the soda and glass cold. Warm soda loses carbonation quickly and makes the drink taste sweeter.

Substitutions

Honey

Sugar makes a lighter, cleaner syrup that lets the lavender read more clearly. Use 150 g sugar in the same 120 ml water.

Soda water

Tonic water adds bitterness and makes a drier, grown-up drink; cut the syrup to 15 ml. Sparkling lemonade is sweeter, so drop the syrup to 10 ml.

Lemon juice

Lime gives a sharper, greener edge. Grapefruit juice at 30 ml makes a pink, gently bitter version.

Variations

Lavender lemonade fizz

Use 30 ml syrup and 30 ml lemon juice, then top with 120 ml soda for a tarter, lemonade-style drink.

Blackberry lavender fizz

Muddle 4 blackberries in the glass before adding ice, syrup and lemon.

Troubleshooting

The drink tastes like soap or perfume

Too much lavender or too long a steep. Use 2 g per 120 ml and stop at 10 minutes. Thin an over-strong syrup with plain honey syrup.

The syrup turned gray-brown

Lavender syrup is naturally amber to taupe. For a purple color, steep 1 tsp dried butterfly pea flowers with the lavender; it turns violet and then pink when the lemon goes in.

It goes flat fast

The soda was poured too hard or stirred vigorously. Pour slowly along the glass and lift once with the spoon.

Storage

Make the drink to order and serve it immediately. The lavender honey syrup keeps in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for about 2 to 3 weeks; discard it if it turns cloudy, smells sour or shows mold.

Safety notes

Use only food-grade culinary lavender, not decorative flowers or lavender essential oil. Honey should not be given to infants under 1 year old.