Not just another Earl Grey. This Earl Grey lavender tea simple syrup can be added to lemon juice and water for a refreshing cold drink full of flavor!
This Earl Grey lavender tea and lemonade recipe is so simple and refreshing. Since I finally found the secret behind a really good earl grey tea, I'm actually loving this all-time classic tea.
The base for this drink is an earl grey lavender tea simple syrup. You can use this simple syrup to flavor just about anything you'd like, from cocktails to a London Fog!
The possibilities are endless. Bergamot and lavender mix perfectly with vodka, and lemonade adds just the right amount of citrus!
But here we're going to use it for flavoring homemade lemonade. So easy.
Earl Grey Tea
Earl Grey tea is a classic made from a blend of strong black tea flavored with the oil from the bergamot citrus fruit. Bergamot is a Mediterranean orange with a very thick rind prized by tea blenders and perfumeries for its fragrant essential oil.
Related: Enchanting Earl Grey Tea Cocktail
The black tea base for Earl Grey is a blend and often comes from China, India or Sri Lanka. Adding lavender to the earl grey tea makes a delightful floral combination. In this recipe, the lavender is a little more subtle so it's not in your face lavender. But of course, add more lavender if you like.
Love Lavender Lemonade
If you love lavender lemonade you will love this addition of earl grey tea to the mix. The lavender notes send this tea soaring and are a perfect match for the bergamot.
What I love most is that it’s not overly sweet like so many sugary lemonade drinks. You can easily control the sweetness by adding more or less simple syrup to your final beverage. This recipe calls for the standard simple syrup 1:1 ratio - one cup of water to one cup sugar.
You can infuse the tea a bit longer than normal to get more bergamot flavor and the brew won't go bitter. For the lemonade, you can use any type of lemon juice but fresh squeezed is always best. Meyer lemons are a great choice because they're a bit sweeter and less acidic. The Meyer lemon is a cross between citron and mandarin orange.
Pro Tip:
You'll need 4 to 5 medium-sized lemons to make 6-ounces of juice.
Earl Grey Lavender Tea Simple Syrup
Simple syrup is just that - simple. It only has two ingredients, sugar and water in equal parts. I like to use pure cane granulated sugar for the simple syrup. It dissolves quickly and it's natural sugar, albeit refined but at least it's not genetically modified.
Related: 10 Best Online Tea Shops
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- Heat one part water and one part sugar until the sugar dissolves. If you're adding a flavoring - in this recipe we're adding Earl Grey tea and lavender, you'll need to heat the water and turn it off just before it boils to infuse the tea and lavender into the syrup.
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- Leave the flavoring ingredients in until the syrup cools. This gives it a nice long infusion time to really meld the flavors together.
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- The beauty of this simple syrup recipe is that you can add just about any flavoring herb, spice or even citrus rinds to use in summer sweet beverages and cocktails.
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- Store the simple syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to two weeks. I have the glass bottles with the swing away stopper cap to store my simple syrup. It's easy to grab and add to a beverage.
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- I like to use glass for storing beverages. A sealed glass container is the best preservative and is 100% inert. Sugar is also a preservative so a simple syrup stored in a sterile glass container can last at least a month in the refrigerator if it doesn't have additional ingredients added to it.
Pro Tips:
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- Gently heat the sugar and water while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Promptly remove from the heat once all the sugar is dissolved. Don't let the syrup boil. The water will evaporate changing the ratio of water to sugar.
- You can buy organic dried lavender flowers for baking at most natural food stores or online.
How to Make Earl Grey Lavender Tea & Lemonade
Earl Grey Lavender Tea & Lemonade
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 8 teaspoon Earl Grey Tea leaves
- 2 teaspoon lavender flowers - dried
- 6 ounces lemon juice
- 5 cups water
Instructions
- Pour equal parts water and sugar in a saucepan. Heat to just before boiling.
- Remove from heat as soon as it begins to boil. Add lavender flowers and Earl Grey tea leaves.
- Infuse 10 minutes or until cooled.
- Strain the syrup into a pitcher.
- Pour the lemon juice into a serving pitcher. Add the water and the simple syrup. Stir.
- Pour into serving glass. Garnish with a few lemon slices and this incredibly refreshing beverage is ready to go.
Notes
- You'll need 4 to 5 medium-sized lemons to make 6-ounces of juice.
- Gently heat the sugar and water while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Promptly remove from the heat once all the sugar is dissolved. Don't let the syrup boil. The water will evaporate changing the ratio of water to sugar.
Nutrition
Healthy Benefits
Any time you consume real food you'll naturally get the nutritional benefits. Take the time now to brew your own drinks. You are worth it!
Lavender: Is best known for it's calming, sedative effects on the central nervous system. Lavender's flavor and aroma come from the oil of lavender, Linalool. *
Lavender lowers blood pressure and eases digestion. It is often used to relieve tension headaches, reduce stress and promote sleep. Lavender can be used as an essential oil in aromatherapy or as an infusion in a beverage. *
Lemon Juice: Lemons are rich in vitamin C and have a cleansing effect on the digestive system. They have a wide range of therapeutic properties. Lemons are also rich in Vitamin B and potassium. Lemons have antibacterial and antiviral properties, strengthening the immune system. *
Black Tea: Tea from the Camellia sinensis plant, contains caffeine, a stimulant, and theanine a relaxant. It also provides folic acid (vitamin B9), some potassium and also magnesium and a trace of fluoride. Tea contains antioxidants called polyphenols that have beneficial effects on the circulatory and immune systems. *
* Source: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Healing Herbs by C. Norman Shealy, MD, PhD
Where to Buy The Best Earl Grey Tea
So far I've found these brands to have some outstanding Earl Grey tea. If you don't have your own favorite Earl Grey you may want to try some of them out.
ADAGIO:
Their London Earl Grey is delicious. It's made with black tea from China flavored with oil of bergamot. It comes as a full-leaf tea in individually wrapped bags.
TEABOX:
Teabox makes a traditional Earl Grey blend from Assam black tea and pure bergamot extract. This is a nice full-bodied and robust tea. They have a variety of teas flavored with oil of bergamot.
TeaLife:
I discovered TeaLife after I wrote a post for them and they sent me samples. They really do have some lovely teas. I used their Earl Grey tea in some of my test recipes for this post and it has a nice bergamot flavor. I used organic black tea with bergamot oil.
THE TEA SPOT:
I just tried their Lady Lavender the other day and it's delightful. The Earl Grey is already mixed with dried lavender flowers and it's just subtle enough to taste the lavender without it overpowering the oil of bergamot.
SMITH TEAMAKER:
You have to try their Lord Bergamot No. 55. It's fabulous! Smith Teamaker curates and blends loose-leaf varietals crafted in small batches in Portland, Oregon.
VAHDAM TEAS:
The Earl Grey Citrus black tea is a blend of black teas from India with the natural oil of bergamot. The dry leaf is delightfully fragrant. The fruity citrus flavor also makes a great iced tea.
Hands down the best tasting lemonade. I love the fragrance, the smell, its just addicting, I can't stop drinking this! The lavender aroma filled my whole kitchen .