Vanilla Lavender Simple Syrup + Drinks to Use it in

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What is Simple Syrup?

Simple syrup is liquid sugar. It’s made by dissolving sugar in an equal amount of water. Because of its sugar content, simple syrup is most often used to sweeten iced drinks such as iced tea, coffee, or cocktails. If you’ve ever tried adding sugar to a glass of iced coffee, you know that it can be a hassle to fully dissolve the sugar. That’s where simple syrups come in! The sugar is already dissolved, making it easy to add sweetness to your drink.

These syrups are so quick and easy to make at home, they only take about 10 minutes! They last for 1-4 weeks in the refrigerator depending on the ingredients you use and how clean and airtight your containers are. As you will see in this recipe, you can flavor a simple syrup with almost anything. Vanilla is probably the common flavoring, but you use anything you want. I’ve even seen a jalapeño simple syrup, which is apparently great in cocktails!

What does Vanilla Lavender Simple Syrup Taste Like?

Lavender itself is a very strong flavor and when too much is added or the wrong cultivar is used, it can taste so floral that it’s almost soapy. I have a love-hate relationship with lavender for this reason. But I’ve learned that if you just add a little bit, lavender actually has a very interesting and unique taste. It’s almost like a combination between mint and rosemary, which means it’s great in both sweet and savory dishes/drinks. The sugar and vanilla in this syrup help tone down some of the inherent bitterness of the lavender and rounds out the flavor.

What You’ll Need to Make this Recipe

Dried Lavender – When buying lavender, be sure you are selecting a culinary, or food-grade, lavender. If you’ve ever had a lavender food or drink that tasted like soap or was too floral, it’s likely that it was made with a non-culinary lavender or too much was added. If you want to learn more about cooking with lavender, I found this post and this post to be very informative!

Sugar – This recipe calls for granulated white sugar. It will allow some of the purple hues of the lavender to come through and has a subtle enough flavor that the vanilla and lavender can shine. If you choose to use brown sugar or honey, just keep in mind that it will change the flavor profile.

Vanilla – I recommend using pure vanilla extract for this recipe because the vanilla will be noticeable in the final product.

Vanilla Lavender Simple Syrup Author: Trinni Stevens Prep: 3 mins   Cook: 10 mins   Total: 13 mins Servings: 1 cup (16 tablespoons) Add a floral twist to your drinks and treats with this vanilla lavender simple syrup.

Ingredients   • ¾ cup sugar   • ¾ cup water   • 1½ to 3 tablespoons lavender, dried   • 1 teaspoon vanilla Directions   1. Add water, sugar, and lavender to a saucepan and bring to a simmer.   2. Stir until sugar is dissolved.   3. Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes.   4. Stir in vanilla extract and, using a fine mesh sieve, strain lavender buds out of the syrup.   5. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Notes Lavender   – Be sure to use culinary, or food grade, lavender for this simple syrup as not all lavender tastes great.   – The amount of lavender you add to the syrup will depend on your tolerance level for floral tastes. 1.5 tablespoons is on the lighter side while 3T is floral without being soapy.

Nutrition Serving: 1 tablespoon | Calories: 37kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Choloesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 4mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 9g

How to Enjoy This Simple Syrup

Simple syrups are great for adding sweetness to all drinks, but they are especially helpful when the drink is iced or cold because it doesn’t leave granules of sugar sitting on the bottom of the drink. Here are some of the drinks I’m dying to try!

Vanilla Lavender Drinks

  • Iced Coffee
  • Iced Latte
  • Steamer
  • London Fog
  • Bubble Tea
  • Iced Tea
  • Lemonade

What are you adding this syrup to?