Last summer, I stopped in the coffee shop that’s right down the street from my apartment. I don’t go in there often because it’s absurdly overpriced, even for DC, but I was short on time and I believe I had a friend visiting and this is the closest place to grab a quick pick me up. I noticed a lavender latte on the menu and decided to give it a try. Oh my gosh. It was the most amazing drink I’ve ever sipped.
A FLORAL TAKE ON AN ICED COFFEE
I’m admittedly more of an iced coffee person. While I do love a warm cup of coffee with frothed milk on occasion, typically I’ll switch over to iced as soon as the weather starts to warm up. And a lavender take on an iced coffee or latte is a whole other level of refreshing. The lavender adds a bit of floral sweetness that doesn’t overwhelm, but gives it a different dimension. I’m obsessed. It’s also the perfect easy iced coffee add-on to keep on hand for guests – you’ll look so much fancier than the effort you actually had to put into it.
This recipe will take you 20 minutes tops and the only barrier to making it is tracking down the culinary lavender. I tried Whole Foods several times and they were out each time, but I finally found it at Bazaar Spices at Union Market. So, if you’re in DC, that’s the place you should check out. I’m tempted to also try some of the other botanicals they carry, but that’s a post for another day.
ICED HONEY LAVENDER COFFEE
For the iced coffee:
Coffee – I make a big batch of strong coffee at the beginning of the week and keep it in the fridge so it’s cold and ready to go
Milk or Almond Milk
Lavender Milk
Mix equal parts coffee, regular milk, and lavender milk together over ice. Play with the ratios to find what suits you. I prefer mine extra milky, which is why I go for equal parts of each, and if you’re wondering about the regular milk (or almond milk!), I use that to stretch the lavender milk. Enjoy!
Lavender milk:
2 cups milk or almond milk
1.5 tablespoons dried culinary lavender
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Bring ingredients to a low boil over medium heat. Continue at a rolling boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and strain. I use my pour over coffee maker to strain and it seems to work well! Let cool. This will keep in the fridge for up to a week, though it never lasts that long when I’m making at least one big honey lavender iced coffee a day!
