Lavender Syrup + Mojitos

There’s nothing I hate more than trying to find or “jump to” a recipe on someone’s site, so I’ve made things as easy as possible for you. If you want the recipe, here it is. If you’re interested in the backstory, scroll down. 😉🤘

Lavender Syrup Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 dozen fresh lavender stems (in bloom/flowering, angustifolia varieties are best, washed, chopped into pieces, stems and some leaves included. If you have a lot of leaves, strip the bottom third of the stem.)

• Pinch of salt

Directions:

Add the water to a small pot and pour in the sugar (doing it in this order reduces the chance you’ll get sugar crystals all up the side of the pan and results in the clearest syrup).

Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. As soon as it’s boiled for about a minute, turn off the heat and add your lavender and salt. Let steep for 30-60 minutes.

Once cooled, use a mesh strainer (or if you have a loose-leaf tea strainer they work even better for this!) to strain out the liquid. I usually let it sit like this for a few minutes to really let the goodness out, pressing the leaves and flowers to extract as much as I can. At this point, it’s ready to use or you can refrigerate it for up to 1 month (not that it’ll last that long.)

Lavender Mojitos

Ingredients:

• 6-10 mint leaves plus a sprinkle of sugar, muddled in the bottom of a highball glass

• 1.5 oz (3 tbsp) Lavender Syrup

• 1.5 oz (3 tbsp) Bacardi or clear/white rum (optional…we don’t drink so we leave this out but those that have tried it gave rave reviews)

• 1 lime, squeezed

• Ice

• Top with sparkling water, stir

• Garnish: lime wedge and a lavender sprig

Directions:

Grab a highball glass, muddle your mint with the sugar, pour in the syrup, rum, lime juice, and some ice. Pour sparkling water to fill, garnish if desired and ENJOY.

(I’ve found that it’s usually easier to make these as a single-serve drink rather than trying to fill a whole pitcher, but feel free. The biggest issue is the mint floating around/not ending up in everyone’s glass as it’s poured. You could definitely avoid that by steeping the mint with the lavender in the simple syrup if you were planning to use all of the syrup for these drinks.)

I went down a deeeeep rabbit hole of all things lavender in sourcing and testing this recipe. I learned a lot, and after tasting the final result…it was all worth it! First things first, there are many different types of lavender out there, and while all of them are technically edible, you’re going to want to use Angustifolia (the OG…English varieties) for the best flavor in this, if you can. I also recommend using the fresh stems over the dried ones that you can buy, but in a pinch, you’re going to use about 1 tbsp of dried to the 1 cup water/1 cup sugar syrup recipe. French and Intermedia varieties tend to be bred for oil production and scent, so they give off more of that floral soapy flavor that we don’t want in our drinks. Or anything, to be honest. I tested this recipe with Angustifolia varieties and it’s amazing. Floral, but herby with the addition of the stems/leaves, which is just enough to balance, and that pinch of salt really boosts the flavor. It’s my new favorite summer simple syrup and we will be using it for everything. For real.

Lavender is a rockstar plant which is why I use it constantly in designs. Low water use, edible, perennial, mosquito repellant, fragrant, low maintenance…it can’t be beaten.

Droppin’ plant knowledge…here are the types of lavender, their botanical names and origins, as well as what each variety is best used for.

Types of Lavender:

Lavandula angustifolia - English

Lavendula stoechas - Spanish

Lavandula dentata - French

Lavandula intermedia (Lavandins) - English/French hybrids

Lavandula latifolia - Portuguese

Different types for different things…

• Best for Culinary Uses English Lavenders (Lavandula angustifolia)

• Classic Lavender Smell and Look Lavandin Hybrids (Lavandula intermedia)

• Strongest Fragrance Lavandin Hybrids (Lavandula intermedia)

• Best for Floral Displays Lavandin Hybrids (Lavandula intermedia)

• Best Drought Tolerant Lavender Spanish Lavenders (Lavendula stoechas)

• Best for Hot, Humid Climates Spanish Lavenders (Lavendula stoechas)

• Best for Landscaping  French Lavenders (Lavandula dentata) and Spanish Lavenders (Lavendula stoechas)

• Most Unique Flower Shape Portuguese Lavenders (Lavandula latifolia)

• Fastest Growing Lavandin Hybrids (Lavandula intermedia)

• Longest Bloom Time French Lavenders (Lavandula dentata)

• Most Cold Tolerant English Lavenders (Lavandula angustifolia)