Butterfly Pea Flower and Lilac Lemonade
One thing I love about the transition from spring into summer in Ontario is the abundance of lush green and blossoms. It’s a forager’s dream come late April/early May, especially around Eastern Ontario, with sightings of morels, fiddlehead ferns, rhubarb, knotweed, and many blossoming trees are at their peak, including the ever-so-fragrant, soft purple lilacs.
These fragrant blossoms are a wonderfully floral addition to cocktails, baked goods, and also a lovely garnish for food.
Instantly, lemonade came to mind. And to enhance the colour of such a beverage, I brought out the colour-changing butterfly pea flowers. Butterfly Pea Flowers are flowers grown on the pea plant in tropical Thailand. They’re used for a lot of food and beverage applications and known for changing colour with the influence of pH balance. More acidic, and the bright, blue liquor changes to purple. more basic, and it begins to turn green. For this, we wanted to create a magically layered purple beverage to match the hue of the lilacs. Here’s a beverage where a fragrant blossom meets a summer favourite. Keep scrolling for a delicious recipe!
Butterfly Pea Flower and Lilac Lemonade
Lilac Syrup Recipe
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup lilac blossoms (stems and leaves removed)
Directions
Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat. Add lilac blossoms and allow to steep for 1 hour. Strain lilac blossoms from the syrup. Place syrup in an airtight container. Store in refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.
Recipe
Yield: 1 serving
2 oz lemon juice
3 oz lilac simple syrup
4 Butterfly Pea Flowers
3 oz boiling water
Directions
Brew butterfly pea flowers by adding hot water and let sit for 5 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
In a small glass, fill half way with cubes of ice. Add your lemon juice and lilac syrup. Slowly add your 3oz of your brewed butterfly pea flower tea. Garnish with a lemon slice. Before consuming, stir to make sure syrup is incorporated. Enjoy!