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This lavender lemonade drink is the prettiest cocktail you’ll make all summer — and one of the easiest! Fresh lemon juice, homemade lavender simple syrup, and your favorite vodka is shaken until poured into a tall glass and served over ice. So refreshing for a backyard BBQ, a bridal shower, or any special occasion!
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Why This Recipe is So Good
- The homemade lavender simple syrup takes just 5 minutes to make and keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Prep it ahead of time, and on party day all you do is shake, pour, and take the compliments.
- Universally crowd-pleasing, a hit really — the balance of floral lavender, bright lemon, and clean vodka hits a sweet spot that even people who swear they “don’t like floral drinks” can’t resist. It’s elegant enough for a garden party and casual enough for a weeknight happy hour!
- You can swap vodka for gin, top with prosecco for a sparkling celebration version, skip the alcohol entirely for a gorgeous mocktail, or batch the whole thing in a pitcher for a bigger party roster. One recipe, infinite occasions.
- A round of these lavender lemonade vodka drinks goes super well with a table full of appetizers. Some of our faves are Burrata Caprese, Smoked Cream Cheese with crackers, Perfect Shrimp Cocktail with Homemade Cocktail Sauce, Ricotta Lemon Honey Dip, and Brie Prosciutto Apple and Honey Stuffed Baguette.
What You Need to Know Before You Start
- Don’t over-steep the lavender. 20-30 minutes is the sweet spot — steeping longer draws out bitter, soapy compounds from the flowers that will ruin the delicate flavor of your syrup. Pull the saucepan off the heat, stir in the lavender, set a timer, and walk away.
- Always use culinary-grade lavender. Look for packaging that specifically says “culinary lavender” or “food grade”; your local health food store, Whole Foods, or Amazon will have it, and the extra label-check is 100% worth it.
- Bottled lemon juice has a flat, faintly metallic taste that shows up immediately in a cocktail with this few ingredients, so I advise buying fresh lemons. One medium lemon yields about 1 ounce of juice, so plan on 2 to 3 lemons per person when batching for a get together, and let them come to room temperature first for maximum juice yield.
- If you have a big party planned, multiply the cocktail ingredients (minus the ice and soda water) by your guest count, combine in a large pitcher, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When guests arrive, pour over ice in individual glasses and top with soda water or prosecco per glass right before serving; this keeps the bubbles fresh and the drinks perfectly cold. Don’t add soda to the pitcher ahead of time, or it’ll go completely flat.
Recipe Variations
Make it a Gin Cocktail: Swap the vodka for gin — Empress 1908 is especially stunning here. Its butterfly pea flower base gives the drink a deep natural indigo that shifts to purple-pink when it meets the lemon juice, and the botanicals add herbal complexity you just don’t get from vodka.
Make it Bubbly: Top with 2 ounces of chilled prosecco instead of (or in addition to) soda water for a celebratory, sparkling version. Perfect for bridal showers, Mother’s Day, New Year’s, or any occasion that calls for bubbles.
Make it a Mocktail: Omit the vodka and top with sparkling water in place of soda water. The lavender lemonade on its own is beautiful, floral, and totally satisfying without any alcohol.
Make it Frozen: Blend all cocktail ingredients with 1 cup of ice for a slushy frozen lavender lemonade. So good for hot BBQ days when you want something even more refreshing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely — and honestly, you should. The syrup keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in an airtight jar. Making it ahead is the single smartest thing you can do for stress-free entertaining.
You can, but fresh lavender is less concentrated, so use about 3 times the amount — roughly 1 tablespoon fresh per teaspoon of dried. The flavor will be slightly more subtle. Dried culinary lavender is more reliable and consistent for cocktails.
Use butterfly pea flower vodka or Empress 1908 gin — both bring a natural indigo hue that shifts to a gorgeous purple-pink the moment they hit the lemon juice. It’s genuinely magical and completely natural.
Yes! Multiply all cocktail ingredients (except ice and soda water) by your guest count, combine in a large pitcher, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Pour over ice and top with soda water or prosecco when serving.
Any clean, unflavored vodka works well — Tito’s, Grey Goose, and Ketel One are all solid picks. For natural color, look for butterfly pea flower vodka. This is a simple drink, so quality matters; don’t use the bottom shelf here, forgotten vodka.
Most distilled vodkas and gins are considered gluten-free, since distillation removes gluten proteins. Always verify the specific brand if you’re serving guests with celiac disease or serious gluten sensitivities.
More Refreshing Drink Recipes
- Peach Bellini
- Strawberry Mimosa Cocktail
- Cucumber Ginger Mocktail
- Raspberry Cocktails with Rosemary
- Peach White Wine Sangria
- Strawberry Mojito
- Apple Cider Mimosas
- Easy Mojito Pitcher Recipe
- Green Tea Shot
- Blackberry Mint Mocktail (Paleo)
- 3-Ingredient Watermelon Margarita Recipe
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Lavender Lemonade Cocktail (With Vodka)
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Fine mesh strainer
- Cocktail shaker
- Jigger or measuring spoons
- Citrus juicer or hand reamer
- Rocks glasses or highball glasses 8–12 ounces
Ingredients
For the Lavender Simple Syrup (Makes About ¾ Cup, See Notes)
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 to 2 teaspoons dried culinary lavender
For the Cocktail
- 1½ ounces vodka or gin
- ¾ ounce lavender simple syrup
- 1 ounce fresh lemon juice about 1 medium lemon
- 2 ounces cold water or lemonade
- Ice
Optional
- Splash of soda water or prosecco
Garnish
- 1 lemon slice
- 1 lavender sprig fresh or dried
Instructions
Make the Lavender Simple Syrup
- Combine ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water in small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves completely, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons dried culinary lavender. Let steep 20 to 30 minutes. Do not steep longer than 30 minutes.
- Strain through fine mesh strainer into clean airtight jar, pressing gently on lavender. Cool completely before using.
Make the Cocktail
- Fill cocktail shaker with ice. Add 1½ ounces vodka, ¾ ounce lavender simple syrup, 1 ounce fresh lemon juice, and 2 ounces cold water.
- Seal shaker and shake vigorously 15 to 20 seconds, until outside of shaker feels frosty cold.
- Strain over fresh ice in rocks glass or highball glass. Top with splash of soda water or prosecco if desired. Garnish with lemon slice and lavender sprig. Serve immediately.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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