Louis’ Lavender Gin and Tonic
Ingredients
Syrup:
- 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh lavender flowers (see Notes)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
Cocktail:
- 2 ounces dry gin
- 1 ounce lavender syrup
- 4 ounces high-quality tonic water
- Garnish with a lemon wheel a few juniper berries and a lavender flower
Instructions
To make syrup:
- Roughly chop lavender flowers. Rinse in a colander.
- In a saucepan set over medium-high heat add water and sugar. Stir until sugar completely dissolves and mixture comes to a simmer. Remove pan from heat. Add chopped lavender, cover and let steep for 15 minutes. (It can become bitter if steeped too long.) Pour syrup through a sieve into a clean jar and refrigerate. Syrup keeps two months or longer in the refrigerator. Makes 1-1/2 cups.
To make cocktail:
- In a highball glass filled with ice, add gin, lavender syrup and tonic water and stir.
- Garnish with a lemon wheel and lavender flower.
Notes
* Use just the purple lavender flowers (not the green stems). The end result will smell of lavender and have a light purple hue.
* If you are using dried lavender flowers, be sure that they are of a culinary quality. The rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon fresh to 1 teaspoon dried (this applies generally when replacing fresh herbs with dried herbs). 1/2 cup fresh lavender is 8 tablespoons, so if you're using dried lavender, use 8 teaspoons (or 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons).
* Syrup makes 12 cocktails.
* If you are using dried lavender flowers, be sure that they are of a culinary quality. The rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon fresh to 1 teaspoon dried (this applies generally when replacing fresh herbs with dried herbs). 1/2 cup fresh lavender is 8 tablespoons, so if you're using dried lavender, use 8 teaspoons (or 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons).
* Syrup makes 12 cocktails.
