Homemade Wild Violet Syrup and Violet Lemonade Recipe
This delicately flavored, sweet, violet simple syrup recipe is an early spring delight! Learn how to turn wild violets into a beautiful syrup with a vibrant color that changes from purple to pink when mixed with something acidic such as lemon juice.
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 65kcal
Ingredients
Violet Syrup
- 1 cup packed edible purple violet flowers
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice optional
Violet Lemonade
- 2 tablespoons violet syrup or to taste
- 1 cup water or sparkling water
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Optional Violet Lemonade Garnishes
- violet ice cubes
- lemon slices
- fresh mint
- fresh wild violet flowers
Instructions
Violet Syrup
- Remove the stems (and optionally the calyxes or green bases of the flowers if they are large) from the violet flowers and gently rinse the flower heads or petals in a bowl of water to remove any soil particles or bugs. Scoop the violets out of the water with your hands and set them on a towel to drain.
- Add the violet flowers to a heat safe bowl or jar and cover them the boiling water. Cover the bowl or jar and let the violets steep in the hot water until their blue color is extracted from the petals into the water for at least 1 hour or overnight for the best results.
- Strain the violet infusion into a medium saucepan, pressing the flowers with the back of spoon to extract all of the liquid.
- Add the sugar and gently heat the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove the saucepan from the heat once the sugar is dissolved.
- Optionally add lemon juice one drop at time to change to change the color of the syrup from cool blue to purple. Stir the lemon juice into the syrup after each drop until your desired color is reached. Or keep the blue color as is and don't add any lemon juice at this point if you'd like to create the color change when making lemonade or other drinks.
- Pour the violet syrup into a sterilized or clean glass bottle. Let it cool completely then store it in the refrigerator.
Violet Lemonade
- Stir 2 tablespoons of violet syrup (or to taste) per 1 cup of water in a drinking glass. Wait to add lemon juice if you want to create a magic color change.
- Add plain or violet ice cubes. Then pour in lemon 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and stir. Watch the color change from blue to pink. Garnish the lemonade with a lemon slice, mint sprig and/or violet flowers.
Video
Notes
- Store violet syrup in a clean bottle or jar in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.
- Use white sugar for the best color. Darker sugars or unrefined sweeteners will muddy the color of the syrup.
- To make violet ice-cubes, add violet flowers to an ice cube tray and then fill with water. Freeze until solid, about 2 hours.
- Use any variety of purple edible violets for the best violet color.
- Remove all of the green parts or calyxes of the flowers if they are large compared to the size of the petals. The calyxes of the violets I used were small so I left them intact.
- Always use caution when foraging for wild edible plants. Make sure to identify the plant correctly by referencing guidebooks and asking an experienced forager to confirm a plant's identity.
Nutrition
Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 65kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 0.03g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 5mg | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 54IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.03mg