This spring drink totally took me by surprise. You’ve gotta try lilac lemonade!

Yes, you heard me right. When my friend Katy sent me a Tik Tok video, I was thinking… “well that’s a new one”. I love my garden and the aroma of lilacs around my home is intoxicating. But, I never thought about drinking them. Then I remembered my Hibiscus tea and that use Rose Water as a setting spray, so why not try this?

Here’s what you need:

Lilac Blooms

Jars

Lemonade

Patience

….how easy is that?

It starts with the right buds. My lilacs are a Lemoine’ Lilacs, a French hybrid of the common purple lilacs (unsure if that changes the flavor – but these worked too). When you find your jar sized bloom, make sure to remove it with a sharp set of pruning shears. This will actually encourage your lilac bush to replenish the buds.

When removed, you want to five your lilacs a quick bath. It’s recommended to use lukewarm water and vegetable wash since essentially you’re eating them. I use the Trader Joe’s Vegetable Wash. Here’s an alternative by Arm & Hammer. I like these because you don’t have to soak them, which I prefer not to do with berries, grapes, flowers, or other delicate items.

Hack: You can also make DIY vegetable wash with a 1-4 ratio of white vinegar and water.

Once your buds are ready, place them in your storage jars. Fill the jars with your preferred lemonade. And set them in the fridge to infuse for THREE DAYS (hence the patience)!

When your drinks are ready, you’ll have a full flavored lemonade that pairs well with fresh cut lemons, berries or vodka. Everyone in my house wanted a sample and we  all want to do it again!