Flavoring your lemonade with lavender is a delicious and soothing way to enhance summer's most refreshing drink. The actual plant of lavender has many medicinal benefits, including slowing the heart rate and giving a sense of calm and relaxation.
This is a simple recipe with an amazing outcome-- lavender lemonade is guaranteed to stay on your mind long after you finish your glass. Cheers!

Step 1: Gathering Ingredients

All you need to make a pitcher of lavender lemonade:

2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar*
1/4 cup lavender leaves, chopped
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup lemon juice

Additionally, you will need a deep saucepan, strainer and pitcher.

*I am currently cutting refined sugars out of my diet, so I will be using the natural sugar substitute, Xylitol, instead of sugar. Feel free to do the same if you're looking for a sugar-free drink.

Step 2: Heating Water and Sugar

What You'll Need For This Step:

2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar*

First, you'll want to heat the 2 1/2 cups of water and 1 1/2 cups of sugar in a large saucepan (or pot) until the sugar is completely dissolved in the water.

*Xylitol, can be a great alternative to sugar, and is available at any health foods store.

Step 3: Adding the Lavender

What You'll Need For This Step:
*1/4 cup lavender leaves, chopped

Next, turn off the heat under the saucepan and add the 1/4 cup of chopped lavender leaves to the heated water/sugar blend in the saucepan. Let the lavender sit in the mixture and let it cool to room temperature-- this takes about 30 minutes.

Step 4: Strain the Lavender

Strain out the lavender and set it aside.

Step 5: Pour Into a Pitcher

What You'll Need For This Step:
*lavender/sugar/water infusion

2 1/2 cups water
1 cup lemon juice

In a large pitcher, add your lavender/sugar/water infusion (there may still be some lavender petals in the mixture and that's fine!) to the second batch of water and the lemon juice. Stir, and add more sugar to your personal taste, if desired.