Lavender Syrup

Before you start

Lavender syrup goes wrong in one direction: too much lavender, or steeping it too long, and it tastes like soap or perfume. The fix is restraint. A small amount of dried culinary lavender, steeped off the heat for only about 15 minutes, gives a gentle floral flavor that works in lemonade, lattes, gin drinks and iced tea.

Use lavender sold for cooking. Culinary varieties, usually English lavender, are sweeter and less camphor-like than many decorative types, and they are not treated with garden chemicals. Lavender syrup is naturally pale tan, not purple; a few blueberries steeped with it give a soft violet color without changing the taste much.

Ingredients

• 240 ml (1 cup) water
• 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp (about 2 g) dried culinary lavender buds
• 5 to 6 fresh or frozen blueberries — optional, for color
• ½ tsp fresh lemon juice — optional, brightens the color

Method

1. Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the syrup just begins to simmer, about 4 to 5 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the lavender and blueberries, lightly crushing the berries with the spoon.
3. Cover and steep for 15 minutes. Taste at 10 minutes; it should smell floral and taste lightly herbal, not bitter.
4. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing gently on the buds but not mashing them.
5. Stir in the lemon juice if using; it shifts the blueberry tint toward lavender pink. Cool for about 15 minutes, then bottle and refrigerate.

Tips for success

• Start with 15 ml (½ oz) per drink. Lavender reads stronger in cold drinks as they warm up.
• Lavender pairs well with lemon, honey, blueberry, vanilla and Earl Grey.
• Store dried lavender in an airtight jar away from light; older buds turn dusty and bitter.

Substitutions

Dried lavender

Fresh culinary lavender works; use about 3 tbsp of loosely packed flowers, since fresh is milder by weight.

Granulated sugar

Honey makes a lavender-honey syrup: dissolve 170 g honey in 120 ml hot water after steeping the lavender in it. It is softer and pairs well with tea.

Blueberries

A pinch of butterfly pea flower gives a vivid blue that turns purple with lemon. Leave color out entirely if you prefer a natural tan syrup.

Variations

Lavender vanilla

Add ½ tsp vanilla extract after straining for a softer, rounder syrup for lattes.

Lavender lemon

Add 2 wide strips of lemon zest with the lavender.

Troubleshooting

It tastes soapy

Too much lavender or a long steep. Dilute with plain simple syrup and use less lavender with a shorter steep next time.

It tastes bitter

The buds were boiled or mashed. Add the lavender off the heat and press only gently when straining.

The syrup is brown, not purple

That is the natural color of lavender syrup. Use blueberries or butterfly pea flower for color.

Storage

Refrigerate in a clean, sealed bottle and use within about 2 weeks for the best floral aroma; the flavor fades over time. Discard if it becomes cloudy, smells sour or shows mold.