It was actually hot here in San Francisco yesterday! We wanted a cold, refreshing drink so we picked up about a dozen lemons and made this incredibly tasty lemonade.

Normally, lemonade is full of refined sugar and I wanted a richer, more flavorful version with a less processed sweetener. Honey is pretty strong flavor-wise, so I cut it by partially sweetening with fructose, which I happened to have on hand. Next time I’ll substitute agave syrup and see how that works. Meyer lemons are sweet, so you may need less depending on your lemons. Add a little bit at a time and taste as you go.

The honey is thinned with a little water so it will integrate into the cold drink, then infused for a short time with the crushed lavender. The lavender is subtle and not too perfumey, but gives it a nice herby springtime kick.

You can spike this with vodka too (I did).

Lavender Honey Lemonade

10-12 lemons, preferably meyer lemons (to make 2 cups lemon juice)
2 cups water + 2 tablespoons
6 tablespoons honey
1/2 tsp lavender
4 tablespoons fructose
mint springs for garnish (optional)
vodka for mixing! (optional)

Grind the lavender with a mortar and pestle.
Heat 2 tablespoons of water until very hot. Mix with the honey to form a syrup and add the crushed lavender.
Begin squeezing the lemons until there are 2 cups of juice. Strain into a pitcher and add remaining water. Add honey syrup and fructose to taste.

To make a cocktail, pour about 1.5 oz vodka over ice into a pint glass. Fill with lemonade and stir. Garnish with lemon slices and mint.

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