Summertime Sippin': Lavender Lemonade

With summer in full swing there's nothing more refreshing than a tall cold glass of....well, let's be honest - anything when it's 30 degrees outside, but lemonade is a refreshing summer staple that can be made with a twist. This recipe is so simple and this pretty, pink lavender lemonade is sure to be a hit whether you're hosting a few friends (like I did last weekend), or just keeping a pitcher for yourself at home to enjoy on our beautiful summer days.  So, want to make a batch of this sweet summer nectar for yourself? It's easy! Let's break it down:

What will you need?

3 cups of sugar // 3 cups of water // 1/4 cup of dried culinary lavender // 4 cups of lemon juice (you can use realemon but if you wanna make it the old fashioned wholesome way, you'll need about 18-20 lemons) // 2 or 3 Cups Club Soda, Soda Water or additional water// Pitcher or container for lemonade // Strainer // Fresh or dried lavender & another lemon to garnish

The first step is to boil the 3 cups of water and add the sugar.  Once dissolved, add the lavender, stir and remove from heat and let sit for ten minutes.  Now the juicing begins! Either by hand or with a juicer, juice your lemons to get your 4 cups of juice - this miiiight take a while to juice, strain and set aside but I promise you the fruits of your labour will be well worth it.  

Once the 10 minute timer goes off, strain the lavender bits from the sugar water and set aside. The water will be a very pretty peachy/pink - who doesn't love a pretty concoction?! Once this cools, you'll add the lemon juice and it's ready to serve! How simple is that?! We froze some lavender and lemons in ice cubes to garnish (we don't mind a few lavender bits in our lemonade!) and we absolutely loved this! 

What you have now is a concentrated lemonade. Either add 3 additional cups of water or as you serve add club soda or sparkling water to add a bit of bubbly goodness and cut a bit of the sweetness.  You can keep this lemonade in a sealed container and it should stay good for about a week (without bubbles).  I used a glass bottle I had left over from the lemonade I used for the Pimm's recipe and using brown paper from the dollar store and a paint pen from Michael's made a cute little label- but this would also be cute served in a mason jar type container or regular pitcher - let us know if you make this and how you serve it.  I hope you enjoy, I know we did! 

DETAILS: Kali (Left) is wearing: Dress- Chicwish, Bangles - Stella & Dot here, here & here // Diana (Middle) is wearing: Dress - H&M (similar), belt- Joe (similar), bracelet - baublebar (similar), necklace - Stella & Dot // Sarah (Right) is wearing: Dress - Anthropologie, Bracelets - Forever 21 (similar), and chapters (similar) //Cake Stand c/o Minted, Straws c/o Minted, Glasses - Chapters (old), Placemats - Hester & Cook