Lavender honey martini

This lavender honey martini is a beautiful cocktail, naturally sweetened and colored with lavender honey syrup and butterfly pea flowers.

Notes about the recipe:

• Martinis are a strong cocktail. Don't let the pretty color fool you. Make this when you want to sip and relax. When testing, I found that I needed quite a bit of sweetness to make a martini palatable to my tastebuds. You can use less syrup if you like your martinis dry.
• Although you may find it strong, it does have a well balanced floral flavor, and overall - it just happens to also be a refreshing and simply stunning summer sipper.
• In this recipe, I adapted my popular homemade lavender honey syrup to be purple without the use of any food coloring. We just almost never have it in the house. Dried flowers for tea on the other hand, you know I always have flowers.
• We love a classic gin cocktail, like our lavender lemon gin and tonic or lavender bee's knees cocktail - but I had to create a martini - the only way I know how. Pretty, sweet, and floral.

Why you'll love this recipe:

• This is the most elegant summer cocktail
• Happy hour is even happier with lavender flavors
• It's only a slight adaptation of the classic cocktail - the prohibition-era cocktail you may know and love
• It uses lovely medicinal tea, but hold the hot water - we're using butterfly flower tea for the gorgeous natural purple hue. You can skip this step if you choose!
• It uses fresh lemon juice, culinary lavender buds, honey - the most gorgeous flavors of summer

Ingredients in this cocktail recipe:

• Dolin dry vermouth - you can use any vermouth, this one is recommended as it has superb flavor in a martini. It has distinct crisp citrus, herbal, floral and white pepper notes.
• Hendrix gin - you can use any gin - this is recommended as it's high quality, with botanical flavors, and works well in a martini.
• Lavender honey simple syrup
  • Water
  • Sugar and / or honey
  • Butterfly flower tea
  • fresh squeezed lemon
  • Dried lavender buds (recommendations for fresh lavender below)

Garish with:

Traditional lemon peel or sprig of fresh lavender, or candied lavender

How to make the homemade lavender honey syrup:

This simple syrup recipe is really simple and the perfect balance of floral flavor and sweetness. You can use some sugar and honey, or all honey. This preparation makes an entire small bottle of syrup, so you'll be able to enjoy numerous cocktails. This syrup also works beautifully in: lavender lemonade, lavender bee's knees, or lavender london fog.

Ingredients in the syrup:

• 1 cup water or lavender water
• 1 cup honey or 1 cup sugar with 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ cup fresh lavender OR ⅓ cup dried lavender
• 1 tablespoon butterfly pea flowers
• 1 fresh squeezed lemon

Instructions to make the syrup:

1. In a small saucepan over low heat - heat the water, honey, butterfly pea flowers and lavender until it comes to a simmer. Squeeze in lemon juice from one freshly squeezed lemon. This should turn your syrup from a dark blue hue to a lighter violet color. Add more lemon if desired.
2. Stir to dissolve the honey and continue simmering gently for 5 minutes, simmer on low for an additional 5 minutes. 
3. Remove from heat and let the liquid thicken and cool. 
4. Lastly, strain into a jar (with an airtight lid)

Note: DO NOT OVERHEAT. Scorched honey will not taste good and may solidify. Keep the temperature low and watch it closely.

Cocktail preparation:

Pour all ingredients into mixing glass with ice cubes. Stir well. Strain into chilled martini cocktail glass. You can shake it in a cocktail shaker if preferred!

You may also love:

• Honey lavender iced latte
• Lavender honey ice cream
• Lavender lemonade
• Lavender lemon gin and tonic
• Lavender bee's knees (lavender lemon honey cocktail)

Lavender honey martini