To make lemonade from scratch, stir 1 cup of fresh lemon juice with 4 cups of cold water and a simple syrup made on the stove, then pour it over ice. This version uses a lavender syrup, which turns plain lemonade into a soft, floral spring refresher. It’s just as good on a chilly fall afternoon with a pot of something warm next to it.
Why You Will Love This
Homemade lemonade is a formula: fresh lemon juice, water, and a sweetener you dissolve first. This version steeps culinary lavender into the syrup, which gives a simple refresher some depth. The lavender steeps off the heat, long enough to release its floral oils without turning soapy, and fresh mint on top keeps it green and bright.
The Story Behind It
Lemonade showed up in medieval Egypt as qatarmizat, a drink of lemon juice and sugar sold in Cairo’s markets. By the 17th century European herbalists were steeping lavender , rose petals, and lemon balm into their syrups. This recipe follows that tradition, with culinary lavender and fresh herbs that have grown alongside citrus in Mediterranean kitchen gardens for centuries.
What You Will Need
For the lavender syrup:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried culinary lavender
For the lemonade:
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4 large lemons)
- 4 cups cold water
- 1 1/4 cups lavender simple syrup
- Ice cubes
- Lemon slices and fresh mint or lavender sprigs for garnish
How to Make It
Make the syrup. Combine the sugar, 1 cup water, and the dried lavender in a small saucepan. Bring to a slow simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until the sugar dissolves.
Turn off the heat and let the lavender steep for 15 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Steeping off the heat keeps the lavender floral, not soapy.
Juice the lemons to get 1 cup of juice and strain out the seeds.
In a large pitcher, stir together the lemon juice, 4 cups cold water, and 1 1/4 cups of the lavender syrup. Taste and adjust, adding more water or a spoonful of syrup if you like.
Chill until cold. Serve over ice with lemon slices and a sprig of mint or lavender.
Herbalist Notes
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia): Use culinary lavender, not ornamental varieties. A little goes a long way. A teaspoon or two for a whole batch is plenty, and the syrup should taste faintly floral, not perfumed.
Mint (Mentha spicata): Spearmint is gentler than peppermint. Bruise a few leaves between your palms before dropping them in the glass or pitcher, which releases the oils without tearing the leaves.
Fresh lemon juice: Squeezed lemons bring aromatic oils from the peel and pulp that bottled juice lacks, and that’s where real lemonade gets its depth.
Make It Your Own
Swap the lavender for dried elderflowers in the syrup for a more delicate floral note, and add a few thin cucumber slices to the pitcher. For basil lemonade, steep fresh basil in the warm syrup instead of lavender. Add fresh herbs just before serving so they stay bright green.
Common Questions
How do you make lemonade from scratch?
Juice fresh lemons to get 1 cup of juice. Make a simple syrup by dissolving 1 cup sugar in 1 cup water over low heat. Stir 1 1/4 cups of the syrup together with the lemon juice and 4 cups cold water in a pitcher, then chill. Use fresh-squeezed juice.
What herbs can you add to lemonade?
Lavender, mint, basil, elderflower, lemon verbena, rosemary, and thyme all work. Steep woody herbs like rosemary and thyme in the warm syrup. Add delicate herbs like mint and basil to the cold lemonade so they stay bright.
Can you add botanical ingredients to lemonade?
Yes. Steep dried botanicals like lavender or elderflower in the warm simple syrup before mixing it with lemon juice and water. Flowers need warmth to release their oils, while leafy herbs like mint and basil give up their flavor in cold liquid.
How long does homemade botanical lemonade last?
Keep it in a sealed glass pitcher in the refrigerator and drink it within a few days. Once you add fresh herbs, drink it within a day, since the leaves darken.
