Secret Recipe Club - Lavender Lemonade Martini

This is my second month participating in Secret Recipe Club. When I received the email with my assignment, I couldn't wait to see which blogger been chosen for me. I was assigned Creative Culinary. What a lovely and delicious blog!

On a Saturday morning I sat at my computer scrolling through the hundreds of recipes on Creative Culinary. As I was scanning the recipes, I ran across many things familiar to me. There were posts of recipes from Nordstrom's Cafe, drinks from Yia Yia's and several versions of St. Louis Butter Cake. I started out with a list of six recipes: Nutella Fudge Brownies, Potato Chip Cookies, Lavender Lemonade Martini, Best Coffee Cake Ever, Hamburger Baked Bean Casserole and Olive Oil & Rosemary Cake.

I've been wanting to bake with Nutella! Potato chip cookies sound so fun. Who can pass up a martini? The casserole would be perfect for camping! My rosemary is growing like crazy. Which recipe to choose?



Inspired by Tim's and my recent trip to the Missouri Valley Lavender Farm, I chose the Lavender Lemonade Martini.A couple of summers ago I made some lavender simple syrup to use for cocktails. I think it ended up in the back of the fridge and not in the cocktails. Infused simple syrup is perfect for cocktails. It adds sweetness, along with a nice hint of lavender. This is a perfect summer cocktail or if you prefer, this makes a refreshing lavender lemonade.

Lavender Lemonade Martini

Recipe Courtesy of Creative Culinary
Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 6-8 sprigs of lavender
• sugar for rimming
• Vodka, preferably chilled
• lemon slices and lavender sprigs for garnish (optional)

Preparation Instructions

1. Add sugar to water in pot on stove and bring to boil; cook only until sugar is dissolved. Add lavender sprigs and allow to cool completely.
2. Put lemon juice in pitcher and strain lavender/sugar water into same pitcher.
3. Add cup of ice to pitcher and stir well.
4. Use a lemon slice to wet the edge of a martini glass. Rim the edge with sugar. I typically put a layer of sugar on a saucer and dip the top edge in it.
5. Add ice to the glass and fill 2/3 with lemonade.
6. Add 1/2 to a full shot of vodka, stir. Enjoy!

Favorite Summer Cocktail

What's your favorite summer cocktail? We love Mojitos. Mojito's are so refreshing, clean and crisp on a hot summer day. Today is one of those hot midwestern summer days. The temperature is going to be close to the century mark and the heat index even higher.

The traditional mojito is made with mint but lately I've seen some recipes made with basil or a combination of basil and mint. My basil crop is abundant, so I think it's worth a try.

Although some recipes use granulated sugar, to me it doesn't disolve and create the same smooth sweetness that simple syrup does.

Basil Mojito

1/2 lime, cut into quarters
6 basil leaves
1/4 c. simple syrup
2 ozs. white rum
club soda

Muddle the lime and basil in a cocktail glass. Add simple syrup and rum. Stir to blend. Add ice cubes and top with club soda. Garnish with a lime wedge and sprig of basil.

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!