la la lemonade

As an intermittent but long-time Del's Lemonade employee I have a deep love for lemonade and all things lemon-y.  I start driving a lemonade truck next week and before I'm tempted by the sugary, frozen goodness that is a Del's, I wanted to make my own lemonade.  My search at tastespotting turned up this yummy sounding drink - Lavender Lemonade. 

 I began by gathering my materials - cutting board, santoku knife, hand juicer, measuring cups, small saucepan, wooden spoon, and um, anything else I needed.  I set the water to boil with the sugar and lavender and then I got to work cutting and juicing lemons.  It was quick work and in fact the longest wait time was while the syrup was steeping.  

After 45 minutes of lavender and sugar happily mingling in hot water I combined the syrup with the lemon juice and then added a little water to dilute the mixture.  Voilà!  Lavender lemonade.  It was a nice surprise to see that the syrup took on a pink hue as the lavender steeped and, happily, I ended up with pink lemonade!  Lastly, I made a quick trip out the side door and into the front flower bed to pick some more lavender as a garnish and I had a wonderfully refreshing first-day-of-summer-vacation drink. 

As you can see, my first glass didn't last long.  Luckily the recipe makes a decent amount so I can enjoy this tasty treat all weekend!