Lilac Lemonade

Uhm, hellooooo August! You can make this lovely drink as a cocktail or mocktail, it's up to you.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups freshly picked lilacs
• Juice from 8 large lemons
• 4 cups filtered water
• 3-4 oz Gin (optional)
• Additional fruits (optional)

Directions:

1. Add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to a small saucepan and bring to a low boil to make your lilac syrup.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the syrup has reduced by half, stirring every 2-3 minutes. Once reduced, turn off the heat, add in your lilac petals and stir to combine. Cover and let sit for one hour to cool (the longer your syrup sits the more intense the lilac flavour).
3. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl and then pour into your pitcher.
4. Add your lemon juice, water, and gin into the pitcher. Stir to combine, ensuring simple syrup has dissolved. Taste and adjust if necessary by adding more lemon juice or water if need be.
5. To serve, fill a large glass with ice and pour. Garnish as you like!

Notes:

Add lemon slices, fresh lilacs, or additional fruits for garnish!