Lilac & Violet syrup in 10 min
Lilac & violet syrup served with ice & tonic water
I have a serious love affair with flowers and that is why I love using lilacs and violets when they are in season. Lilacs are not only beautiful but also edible. Just be sure that the lilacs you pick are pesticide-free. In Finland, lilac trees bloom wild in the countryside and I’m lucky to have a sister and mother in law that both have lilac trees in their gardens, that I can pick from. I have a balcony filled with violets, which is why I also incorporated them into this recipe. There are many simple culinary uses for lilacs, such as infusing sugar, alcohol, syrups or honey. This syrup is perfect for sweetening cocktails or mocktails and is incredibly easy to prepare in just 10 minutes. It also works as a sauce for cakes or pancakes or even a base when freezing popsicles.
When making lilac syrup, use only the blossoms, removing any leaves or stems before infusing. Gently rinse the lilacs in a fine mesh strainer to remove any dirt and insects. This ensures your syrup is clean and ready to add a delightful floral note to your drinks or on top of cakes.
Helsinki is experiencing a lengthy heatwave, so a few small drops of the syrup mixed with ice and soda water (or tonic water) makes a great refreshing drink during warm days. Our two year old absolutely loved this combination, we enjoyed it on our balcony garden.
Water and Granulated sugar: No fancy sugars needed. Just your basic granulated sugar.
Lilac & violet blossoms: You are fresh and aromatic lilacs that are pesticide free.
Blueberries (or other dark berries): Lilac syrup by itself is kinda brown in colour. I add a small handful of blueberries/lingonberry to give it a pretty purple colour.
Ingredients
3dl sugar
2dl water
1dl blueberries (or partly lingonberry)
2dl mixture of lilacs and violet flowers
Boil the water and sugar until the sugar has melted. Add in the berries and edible flowers and let it boil for 10 minutes. Strain, let it cool and bottle. Store in Refrigerator.
