Rosemary Lavender Lemonade

Spruce up some fresh squeezed lemonade for your next gathering with this rosemary lavender lemonade.  Perfect for sipping, with or without a splash of vodka! 

Things I can’t get enough of during the summer: grilled okra, fresh corn, Rainier cherries, popsicles, homemade lemonade.

I’m generally not a beverage person.  We don’t drink soda or juice.  I’ll occasionally have a mug of tea in the winter if I’m sick.  I haven’t poured myself a glass of milk in years.  My husband and I joke that we only drink two things: water and alcohol, but it’s a joke that is pretty much true.

Except when it comes to outdoor picnics and parties and fresh squeezed lemonade.  I just can’t say no.  That sweet-tart lemony combination is everything that is right with the world on a sweaty, hot summer day.  As soon as the temperature starts to rise, all I want is citrus. (Also, how pretty is that lavender infused simple syrup lemon juice combination above? ↑↑↑)

I’ve shared a blueberry basil lemonade recipe before that is my favorite summer dinner party beverage (and even more so with a generous splash of bourbon!).  But for a recent neighborhood picnic, I wanted to try something a little different.  The lavender-lemon pairing has been on my mind ever since I made this lemon lavender bundt cake, so I jumped at the chance to turn it into lavender lemonade.

And well, you know me.  Lavender lemon isn’t enough on its own — we have to spruce it up a little more with some herbs.

I debated between rosemary and thyme, both abundant in my little urban patio garden.  I eventually settled on rosemary, since it’s one of my must-include herbs for lemon chicken.  Sure enough, rosemary + lavender + lemon is an A+ combination.

If you’ve ever searched for lavender lemonade recipes on the internet, you’ve probably found dozens of pictures of perfectly pale purple (dare we say… lavender) colored beverages.  Seeping lavender leaves does not result in this beautiful purple hue (though it does make a very pretty pinkish color — see above!).  These recipes claim the secret is adding a few drops of purple food coloring.

Friends, let me tell you: this does not work.  At least not with fresh squeezed lemonade and a lavender-infused simple syrup.  The slight pinkish hue of the simple syrup + yellow fresh squeezed lemon juice + purple food coloring… well… the photo below speaks for itself.

Electric blue lemonade, anyone?  No thanks.  But if you’re looking to make homemade Kool-Aid, I now know the secret!

(I actually did an Instagram story about this and multiple people responded saying the same thing happened to them, so clearly, it’s not just me. And then someone said that they asked a restaurant, and the response was that it only works with concentrated lemon juice, so something about the dehydrating and reconstituting must result in a less yellow lemon juice.  Who knows.)

Either way, my advice is to skip the food coloring, embrace the natural lemonade color, and add a sprig or two of fresh lavender if you need emphasize that it is lavender lemonade.  Sit back, enjoy the warm summer rays, and stay cool with a sip of ice cold rosemary lavender lemonade.

Or take it up a notch from perfect family beverage to adults only celebration with a splash of vodka.  Preferably a big one, please and thank you.

Print Recipe

Yield: 8 (1-cup) servings

Rosemary Lavender Lemonade

Total Time: 45 minutes

Spruce up some fresh squeezed lemonade for your next gathering with this rosemary lavender lemonade.  Perfect for sipping, with or without a splash of vodka! 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 5 cups water, divided
• 10 lemons (enough for 1 1/2 cup of freshly-squeezed lemon juice)
• 2 3-inch sprigs of rosemary
• 4 tablespoons dried lavender
• optional: large splash of vodka

Directions:

1. Begin by making a simple syrup, combining the sugar and 1 cup of the water in a small saucepan.  Bring to a gentle simmer over low heat, until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Add the rosemary sprigs and dried lavender.  Remove from the heat, cover, and allow the simple syrup to seep for 30 minutes.
2. Roll the lemons back and forth over the counter, or microwave briefly, 10-15 seconds, to help release the juice.  Cut each lemon in half and squeeze over a measuring cup, until you have 1 1/4 cups of lemon juice.
3. Strain the rosemary and lavender from the simple syrup.  Add the simple syrup and lemon juice to a large pitcher, followed by the remaining 4 cups of water.  Stir and adjust to taste, adding a few tablespoons of sugar or the juice of half a lemon if it is either too sweet or too tart.
4. Serve over ice (with an optional splash of vodka) and enjoy!

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