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I love making new drink recipes, and recently I created an interesting twist on a summer classic: lemonade! I like to experiment with new flavors, and decided to try pairing rose petals and butterfly blue pea flowers to the lemonade, not just for the flavor, but also for color.
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The rose really added some nice qualities to the finished drink. Rose's soft aroma and flavor added a subtle refreshing floral note that softened and smoothed over some of the sharply tart lemony flavor. The butterfly blue pea flowers provided a dramatic presentation with the color, but didn't affect the flavor or aroma.
Along with the beautiful color and refreshing flavor, this rose- and pea flower-infused lemonade is packed with health benefits. Both roses and butterfly pea flowers contain important antioxidants that fight inflammation and disease. Roses support heart health, and can also balance and uplift the mood.
Native to Thailand, butterfly pea flowers have many traditional healing uses, such as reducing feelings of stress and anxiety, relaxing the body and mind. Pea flowers are also believed to promote brain health.
This recipe is a keeper, and I think you will enjoy it too. If you love this as much as I do, make sure to share the recipe with your family and friends!
Serves 2
You will need the following ingredients:
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons butterfly blue pea flowers
- 8 tablespoons of rose petals
- 2 tablespoons of raw honey (use more or less to taste)
- 2 tablespoon of rose hydrosol aka rosewater (optional but recommended because it makes the lemonade taste even better)
- 1/2 cup of lemon juice, freshly squeezed (always best) or bottled (next best)
- 1 cup of sparkling water
Read also: 9 Flower Teas To Help You Blossom & Glow
Boil two cups of water, and steep the rose petals and butterfly blue pea flowers in the hot water for one to three minutes. (Tip: keep the tea covered to keep in the heavenly aroma from the rose petals.) The tea should have a deep purple color.
Strain the flowers, and while the tea is still warm, stir in approximately two tablespoons of raw honey, to taste. Make sure the honey is dissolved completely before chilling it in the fridge, otherwise the honey might glob up on the bottom.
Once it is chilled, add one cup of sparkling water.
Now comes the fun part! Slowly pour in the lemon juice, and watch the color transform. The butterfly blue pea flower acts as a ph indicator and when you add something acidic like lemon juice, it will turn the liquid pink.
To bump up the rosy flavor, stir in a tablespoon or two of organic rose hydrosol. The rose softens the bite of the lemons. I once worked for a Persian chef, and rose hydrosol was the secret ingredient in the lemonade he served at his restaurant.
Pour over ice, garnish with fresh or dried rose petals, and enjoy!
If you enjoyed this, you will also love this Color-Changing Iced Tea Recipe