OK, so we all know about the plethora of incredibly yummy ways that there are to cook with lavender (think lavender shortbread, lavender scones, lavender with lamb, the list goes on), but what about using a touch of our amazing culinary lavender to make something a little more thirst-quenching?
Well lavender tea, is already a favourite in our house. Simply steep a few teaspoons of our dried culinary lavender buds in hot water for a few minutes and then sweeten to taste with a spot of lavender honey, and you will be in lovely soothing lavender heaven in no time. But what about something to suit a slightly jollier occasion? How about trying lavender beer?
Essentially there are two ways of getting your lips around a lovely frothy glass of lavender beer; buy it or brew it.
Buy it
Lavender Hill (Sambrooks Brewery) – this London brewery has taken inspiration from the lavender fields that used to grow in Battersea and have taken a Lavender Honey to brew with a selection of British and French hops to create this delightful honey beer.
Lavender Honey (Wolf Brewery) – again Lavender honey is added during the brewing process to give this beer a delicate yet more-ish flavour.
Blackcurrant Lavender Cider (Finnriver) – OK so not exactly a beer (but it’s not that far removed!) and it was only a seasonal release in the US, but man does this sound good! This purple-hued sparkling cider features organic Washington apples fermented and blended with the sweet and tart delights of blackcurrant. Add to that the delicate floral notes of organic Sequim lavender and let happiness reign!
Brew it
So for the slightly more hands-on of you, why not try a little lavender homebrew? One of the easiest methods we’ve seen is to buy one of the brilliant homebrew kits that you can get these days and then adapt it with a little lavender loveliness!
Jamesandtracey.co.uk has published a great little recipe where you simply add a good handful of dried lavender (obviously using a high-grade culinary lavender such as ours will give you a superior flavour and finish) after the brewing sugars and leave the mix to simmer for 20 minutes before removing the lavender (tying your lavender in muslin will make this decidedly easier!) and then fermenting as usual. I don’t know about you, but we’re seriously looking forward to the results!
