Lavender Simple Syrup (for cocktails, mocktails, coffee and baking)

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Servings:

Calories: 51kcal

Put the sugar and water into a saucepan. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar then bring to a simmer and take off the heat.
250 g White sugar, 250 ml Water
Pick the buds from the stems of lavender.
Drop the lavender into the pan (off the heat) ands leave it to infuse for 30 minutes. If using blueberries or lemon zest now is the time to add these too.
2 tablespoons Fresh lavender buds, 3 Blueberries, 1 Strip lemon zest
At the end of the infusion time strain the syrup through a fine meshed sieve. Decant into a sealable jar or bottle and store in the fridge.

Infuse for a maximum of 30 minutes: Leaving the lavender in longer can lead to a bitter taste and it could turn the syrup brown.
Make it stronger: If you did want to amplify the strength of flavour in your lavender syrup, increase the amout of lavender buds used.
Make it weaker: If the floral notes are too strong for your tastes, reduce the amount of lavender used or shorten the infusion time to 15 minutes.
Colour it: Lavender buds do not naturally impart purple colour to syrup. A syrup made with just sugar, water and lavender buds will take on a pale amber hue. See below to add colour.

There are a few options when it comes to adding colour to this lavender cocktail syrup recipe:

Food colouring: This is the easiest option but add a little at a time and stir well to ensure you don't overdo the colouring.
Blueberries: Prick 2-3 blueberries and drop them into the pan along with the lavender buds. Just before straining the syrup, squish them gently to allow the colour to be released. This will give the syrup a subtle purple hue.
Lemon juice: Once the syrup has been strained add in small increments of fresh lemon juice ( try ¼ teaspoon at a time) and stir well. The syrup will take on a pink hue. Keep adding more juice until you are happy with the colour but remember that adding a lot of lemon juice will significantly alter the flavour of the syrup.