I love Southern California! Where else in the world could you find a cocktail as wonderful and refreshing as a “Lavender Blueberry Lemonade”? The cocktails that I enjoy in California are always so delicious to me, made with wonderful farm fresh ingredients and presented with such a passionate abandon. There is no restraint to be found in a Southern California cocktail and the East Coast versions are way too refined....almost too tight lipped for my nature at this point! I’ve had many drinks that I enjoyed in San Diego, but none as much as this one that I enjoyed at a wonderful restaurant called the Whisk n Ladle , in sunny downtown La Jolla. They really make a wonderful drink and present it beautifully. Instead of using the standard martini glass, which I believe is way to large at this point they use a beautiful hollow flute champagne glass. They serve their drinks at just the right temperature, icy cold but just warm enough that the flavors explode in your mouth. When I asked I was told that they use very hard ice frozen in silicone trays to shake them with because there is absolutely no dilution of flavor. The ice simply chills the cocktail but doesn’t melt into it. For some reason when the ice is frozen into square cubes in silicone less air bubbles form, producing a very hard ice. You can find these trays at any Bed, Bath and Beyond, I even saw some at IKEA this weekend. They are worth the expense!

But I have digressed...back to my Lavender Cocktail! I ordered it, not quite knowing what to expect. When they brought my drink I was floored by the beautiful flavor, the ingredients mixed perfectly providing a bit of floral , tart and fruit in every sip. It was garnished with the loveliest sprig of fresh lavender and it was heavenly.
Although I could not get them to part with the recipe, I’ve been able to replicate it pretty successfully. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I have!

For one cocktail you will need:
1 tablespoon of lavender infused simple syrup.
To make this you will need a couple of tablespoons of simple syrup and a bottle of food grade Lavender essential oil. Add a few drops of the lavender oil into the syrup to taste, remembering that a little goes a long way. Set aside.

The juice of one very fresh Meyer Lemon

1 and a half ounces of very good vodka

One tablespoon of good blueberry jam, sweetened with fruit juice or one tablespoon of fresh , sweetened blueberry puree.

Approximately 2 ounces of organic Blueberry soda, Izzy is fine!


The rest is easy! Place all of the ingredients into a shaker with some very hard ice and shake for about a minute or until very cold. Pour into a martini glass and garnish with a fresh sprig of Lavender and a long pick that you’ve threaded with some very juicy blueberries.
Sit back, sip and enjoy and if there is snow where you are , spring won’t seem too far away!