Video about Lilac syrup and Lilac Fizz on my YouTube channel.
Spring is a season of renewal, change, and finding unexpected ways to brighten familiar things. Including your favorite cocktails. For example — by adding a touch of lilac.
Yes, that very lilac whose blooming brunches brighten May and June with cascading clusters of flowers in every imaginable shade of purple, and whose fragrance is unmistakable.
Though, in England and Scotland, an old belief warns that bringing cut lilac clusters into the house invites bad luck. Primarily because lilac supposedly attracts fairies — and, as everyone knows, fairies are rarely agents of good fortune.
There is, however, another theory: that the superstition is not ancient at all, but rather a clever rumor spread by English gardeners to protect their lilac bushes from overly enthusiastic flower thieves hoping to decorate their homes — or impress someone special — at someone else’s expense.
Other cultures hold no such suspicions toward lilac. Elsewhere, lilac is considered a symbol of spring and renewal.
There is even a widespread belief that finding a five-petaled lilac blossom (normal lilac flowers have four petals) brings good luck. And to make sure that luck stays with you — you are supposed to eat the flower.
As children, we enthusiastically inspected lilac clusters in search of those elusive five-petaled blossoms.
And naturally, when we found one — we ate it.
And yes — flowers from all true lilacs are edible. I mean actual lilacs, genus Syringa. I specify this because in some places people call entirely unrelated plants “lilac.” I make no guarantees about those.
So, how do we bring lilac aroma into a cocktail?
The simplest and most direct way is to make lilac syrup. Many cocktails call for a sweetener, often simple syrup. Today, instead of ordinary syrup, we are making lilac syrup. For that, we need lilac flowers, sugar, water, and lemon.
That’s how to make lilac syrup.
Ingredients:
• 30 g lilac flowers (about 1 cup)
• 250 ml water
• 200 g sugar
• 1 lemon (or ½ teaspoon citric acid)
• 2–3 frozen blueberries (optional)
Use white sugar so it doesn’t affect the syrup’s color. The lemon (or citric acid) helps preserve the syrup’s color.
Cut a few lilac clusters. Shake them thoroughly — lilacs usually come with a certain number of tiny residents. Alternatively, rinse them gently in cold water and shake dry.
Remove the flowers from the stems.
Place the flowers and sliced lemon into a glass container.
The syrup naturally comes out pale pink. If you would prefer a more distinctly lilac-purple color, add 2–3 frozen blueberries. They will not noticeably affect the taste or aroma, but they provide a beautiful deep purple hue. Once mixed into cocktails, the color softens into exactly the right shade of lilac.
Bring the sugar and water to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once sugar dissolved and the mix is boiling, pour the syrup over the lilac flowers and stir. Leave at room temperature until completely cool. Then refrigerate for about 24 hours.
Strain through cheesecloth or a fine metal sieve, pressing the flowers to extract as much liquid as possible.
Your syrup is ready. Stored in the refrigerator, it is good for up to four weeks.
For longer storage, pasteurization is recommended.
So — syrup ready. Now choose whichever cocktail deserves a touch of lilac and proceed accordingly.
I made several different cocktails and will absolutely share them with you. But first — Lilac Fizz.
Fizzes are cocktails built around a base spirit (most often gin), citrus juice, a sweetener, and some form of carbonated water. (Fizz, after all, means fizzy.) I talk more about the origins and styles of fizz cocktails in my article about Morning Glory Fizz.
Now let’s make a Lilac Fizz.
Ingredients:
• 2 oz / 60 ml gin
• 1 oz / 30 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ oz / 15 ml lilac syrup
• soda water
A fizz can be served neat or over ice. If serving over ice, extra lilac character can come from lilac ice cubes. Simply place lilac flowers into ice trays, cover with water, and freeze.
Process:
Fill glasses with ice. In a shaker, combine everything except the soda water. Pour into the prepared glasses. Top with soda.
A wonderful cocktail for a warm spring day.
And one more thing — for admirers of Terry Pratchett, fans of Discworld in general, and the City Watch stories in particular: а cocktail with lilac syrup is an excellent way to celebrate May 25th — Glorious Revolution Day.
