Berries, herbs, tea, citrus… The flavour choices for refreshing summer drinks are endless. The key to making beautiful and tasty drinks is knowing how to make and flavour simple syrup.
So how do you make simple syrup?
In a saucepan, you combine equal parts water and white sugar. You heat the mixture, occasionally stirring until the sugar has fully dissolved. I usually do one cup of water and one cup of sugar.
And how do you flavour your simple syrup?
Decide on a flavour combination and then add them to a Mason jar and pour the hot syrup on top. Let the mixture cool completely, cover and refrigerate overnight. These syrups can be kept in the fridge for at least a week however I would recommend straining the liquid. Things that work well include berries (fresh or thawed), herbs (rosemary, lavender, mint and thyme work well) and citrus rind.
This recipe for a blackberry lavender lime spritzer calls for a blackberry lavender syrup, freshly squeezed lime juice and club soda. Add ice, a couple of fresh raspberries and a fresh lavender sprig for garnish and you have yourself a killer drink. P.S. the one in the picture also has an ounce of vodka, just say’in!
- **For the Simple Syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon food grade lavender (dry herb)
- ½ cup blackberries (fresh or thawed)
- **For the Drink
- 1 ounce prepared syrup
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ½ cup or more soda water
- For the syrup, combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Meanwhile, combine the lavender and blackberries in a Mason jar. Pour the hot water/sugar mixture over top. Let cool completely, cover and place in the fridge overnight.
- For the drink, combine all the ingredients in a pretty glass with some ice. Adjust the amount of soda water to your taste. Garnish with a couple of blackberries and a fresh lavender sprig (if you have some) and serve.
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