For anyone who wishes to use their bounty of home grown organic lavender, this is a delightful recipe that can be doubled and tripled easily, depending on the size of your party. Garnishing the platter your punch bowl rests upon with fresh sprigs of lavender, and a few whole lemons and limes, gives your guests a visual hint of the tempting treat their taste buds will soon savor!
To make Luscious Lavender Lemonade use:
8 c water
1-1½ c sugar (depending how sweet you wish it to be)
4 medium-sized lavender sprigs
¼ c freshly squeezed lime juice (use 2 large or 3 medium limes, plus one for garnish)
1 c fresh lemon juice (use 4 large or 6 medium lemons, plus one for garnish)
- Combine the sugar and water in a large pot.
- Stir until the sugar is dissolved; then bring the sugar-water to a boil.
- Once it boils, remove the pot from the heat and add the lavender. Stir in the freshly squeezed lemon and lime juices.
- Allow your Luscious Lavender Lemonade to cool to room temperature.
- Strain the juice to remove the lavender sprigs, and any small floating pieces.
- Chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
- Serve from a punchbowl with floating rose or lavender ice cubes (how-to-make recipe in the ‘miscellaneous herbal recipe’ category of betweenclosefriends.com, along with other entertaining ideas and home made herbal recipes and preparations), and also float fresh slices of lemon and lime.
- Garnish each glass of your Luscious Lavender Lemonade with a sprig of fresh basil or lemon thyme. Enjoy!