Cocktail Recipe: Lavender Lemon Drop

the appetizer:

Organic, Shaken and Stirred: Hip Highballs, Modern Martinis, and Other Totally Green Cocktails by Paul Abercrombie, includes recipes like Lavender Lemon Drop; Pear Tea Martini; Perfect Whiskey Punch; and Pineapple Caipirinha with Sweet Lime Espuma.

Lavender Lemon Drop

Lavender's sweet aroma of fresh-cut wood gives just the right counterpoint to the tartness of the citrus vodka and lemon juice. This is a bright and shiny drink.

2 ounces organic citrus vodka
1 ounce freshly squeezed organic lemon juice
1 ounce Lavender-Infused Organic Simple Syrup (recipe folllows)
Organic sugar
Organic lemon twist

Combine the vodka, lemon juice, and simple syrup in an ice cube-filled cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously. Sugar the rim of a chilled martini glass, then strain the mixture into the glass. Garnish with the lemon twist.

Lavender-Infused Organic Simple Syrup

In a medium-size saucepan, combine 4 ounces water, 1/2 cup organic sugar, and 1/2 cup organic lavender flowers (fresh are best but dried are easier to find—just make sure they're organic), crushed and wrapped securely in cheesecloth. Warm over medium heat stirring, until the sugar dissolves; be careful not to let it boil. Remove from the heat let cool, strain out the flowers, and pour into an airtight container. Refrigerate overnight before using. The syrup, which has a light pink color from the lavender, will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

If you already have some Organic Simple Syrup on hand, here's an easier version: In a glass jar, combine a handful of organic lavender sprigs with 8 ounces Organic Simple Syrup. Let sit for at least several hours (a full day in the fridge is best), then remove the sprigs.

from:
Organic, Shaken and Stirred
Hip Highballs, Modern Martinis,
and Other Totally Green Cocktails
by Paul Abercrombie
The Harvard Common Press 2009
Hardcover; 176 pages; $19.95
ISBN-10: 1558324364
ISBN-13: 978-1-55832-436-7
Reprinted by permission.

Buy Organic, Shaken and Stirred