The 10 Best Lavender Cocktail Recipes

Lavender’s clean, floral aroma is the perfect way to add a touch of spring or summer to your cocktail. Although it’s usually paired with gin, it can also work surprisingly well with just about every other type of liquor!

Lavender Margarita? Yes, please. Lavender Old Fashioned? So good! Whether you want to use use a lavender simple syrup, a lavender-infused liquor, or even lavender bitters, I’ve got lavender cocktail recipe ideas for you.

If you need a lavender simple syrup recipe, scroll to the bottom for that recipe. Don’t want to make it yourself? Buy a bottle instead.

Here are the 10 best lavender cocktails you can easily make at home:

1) Lavender Blueberry Bees Knees

First is my favorite warm weather recipe of the bunch. This fun, vibrant gin sour riffs on the classic gin cocktail with blueberry-infused gin, lavender syrup, lemon, and honey.

The Bees Knees is a classic Prohibition-era drink that combines gin, lemon, and honey for a refreshing, lightly floral, mix of sweet and sour.

While the precise origin of the drink is unknown, it was named after the American slang term for “the best.” And while the original is a true classic, this lavender and blueberry upgrade makes it even better.

I used the Lavender Haze syrup from Hipstirs and it’s a really lovely choice if you don’t want to make your own lavender simple syrup. It’s all natural and it has a gorgeous purple hue from butterfly pea flowers. Store bought lavender syrups can be a bit overpowering or soapy-tasting, but this one is clean and light-tasting.

Other ingredients you’ll need are: frozen blueberries, a lemon, and honey. The blueberry-infused gin takes no time at all when made with frozen berries and it creates a gorgeous hot pink to pinkish red colored gin that looks as good as it tastes.

You might also enjoy my other blueberry-infused cocktail recipes:

• Blueberry Gin & Tonic
• Blueberry Ranch Water

To make the cocktail, first combine your gin of choice with frozen blueberries and let it sit for at least 20 minutes. Strain out the solids and measure out two ounces of blueberry gin.

Add the gin to a cocktail shaker with an ounce of freshly squeezed lemon juice, three quarters of an ounce of Lavender Haze syrup, and a quarter to a half ounce of honey syrup.

• 2 oz blueberry-infused gin
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 3/4 oz Hipstirs Lavender Haze syrup (or homemade lavender simple syrup)
• 1/4 oz honey syrup

Honey syrup is incredibly easy to make and just requires honey and water. Find full details in my Honey Syrup Recipe.

2) Lavender Ramos Gin Fizz

The Ramos Gin Fizz is a classic New Orleans cocktail that was invented in the 1880s by Henry C. Ramos. It’s a frothy, creamy cocktail made with gin, lemon juice, egg whites, cream, orange flower water, simple syrup, and soda water.

Make an easy floral riff on this gin classic by replacing the simple syrup with lavender syrup. The Ramos Gin Fizz needs quite a bit of shaking to build up that lovely rich foam.

Add even more lavender flavor to your cocktails with Holystone Distilling’s Cerulea Gin, pictured above. It’s lavender-forward and has a gorgeous blue-purple hue thanks to butterfly pea flowers.

• 2 oz gin
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1 oz lavender simple syrup
• 1/2 oz heavy cream
• 1 egg white
• Dash orange flower water
• Sparkling water

Be sure to first dry shake (shake without ice) all but the sparkling water for at least thirty seconds. Then add ice to the shaker and shake until the ingredients are well chilled. Strain into a chilled Collins or highball glass without ice and top with chilled sparkling water.

Tip: Add one ice cube to the shaker for your dry shake to prevent the shaker tins from popping open from the pressure build up.

3) Lavender Lemon Drop

The Lemon Drop is a citrusy cocktail that’s made with vodka, triple sec (orange liqueur), lemon juice, simple syrup, and a sugared rim. It enjoyed a lot of popularity after Oprah Winfrey made one on television in 2006 and it’s become a staple vodka cocktail in bars all over the world.

The Lemon Drop’s blend of lemon and orange flavors make it a natural fit to mix with lavender. All you have to do is replace the drink’s simple syrup with lavender simple syrup and you have a knock out lavender vodka cocktail.

• 2 oz vodka
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 3/4 oz triple sec
• 1/2 oz lavender simple syrup

To make the drink, combine two ounces of vodka with one ounce of lemon juice, a half ounce of triple sec, and three quarters of an ounce of lavender simple syrup. Shake the ingredients with ice, then strain into a cocktail glass rimmed with sugar.

4) Lavender Margarita

Lavender and tequila are a match made in heaven! Tequila has unique earthy, citrusy, and herbal notes that work so well with this clean-tasting herb. The classic Margarita is little more than tequila, fresh lime juice, and triple sec.

Add a splash of lavender simple syrup and you have a bright, citrusy tequila cocktail that’s great for celebrating those early days of spring.

• 2 oz tequila or mezcal
• 1 oz lime juice
• 3/4 oz triple sec, such as Cointreau
• 1/2 oz lavender simple syrup

Tip: If you don’t have lavender syrup, try adding the lovely herbal aroma to your next classic or Fresh Strawberry Margarita by topping the finished cocktail with a few dashes of Scrappy’s Lavender Bitters!

5) Lavender Old Fashioned

The Old Fashioned is the original cocktail, a simple, stoic elixir of whiskey and bitters with a dash of sugar to soften things out. The oils of an orange peel finish the drink, adding citrusy aroma and rounding out any harsh flavors.

• 2 oz lavender-infused bourbon or rye whiskey
• 1/4 oz demerara simple syrup
• 2 dashes orange bitters

The Old Fashioned is a great way to enjoy subtle flavors, so it can work well with infused whiskies. Infuse your whiskey (or cognac, for that matter) with dried food-grade lavender flowers to add layers of complexity to your next OF.

In addition to creating a lavender-infused whiskey, you can use lavender simple syrup in an Old Fashioned with any whiskey you enjoy. I like to opt for orange bitters (rather than Angostura) when using lavender in an Old Fashioned.

Combine two ounces of whiskey with a quarter ounce of lavender simple syrup and two dashes of orange bitters. Stir the ingredients with ice until very cold, then strain them over fresh ice. Garnish with an expressed orange or lemon peel.

6) Lavender & Earl Grey Brandy Sour

Cognac and other types of brandy are a great choice for mixing with lavender. Brandy is made with grapes and naturally has delicate fruit flavors and aromas that work beautifully with floral flavors.

• 2 oz brandy
• 3/4 oz lemon juice
• 3/4 oz earl grey simple syrup*
• 1 egg white
• Scrappy’s Lavender Bitters

This recipe combines brandy with an earl grey simple syrup and lemon juice. Add an egg white for creamy foam on top, then garnish then a few drops of fragrant lavender bitters. This cocktail is a dreamy, smooth blend that’s great for happy hour or even for brunch.

Mix two ounces of brandy with three quarters of an ounce of lemon juice, three quarters of an ounce of earl grey simple syrup, and an egg white. Shake the ingredients thoroughly, strain into a coupe glass, then top the fluffy white foam with a few drops of lavender bitters.

*To make the earl grey simple syrup, brew a cup of earl grey tea with 2-3 tea bags instead of 1. After steeping, remove the tea bags and add a cup of sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Store leftovers in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

7) Lavender Mai Tai

The Mai Tai is a misunderstood cocktail that is made in many different ways. The classic tiki recipe is a fairly simple drink that allows you to really enjoy the flavor of the rums you use.

• 2 oz aged rum
• 1 oz lime juice
• 1/2 oz triple sec
• 1/4 oz lavender simple syrup
• 1/4 oz orgeat syrup
• Don’t omit the mint, for garnish!

A classic Mai Tai is made with aged rum (or a blend of rums), fresh lime juice, orgeat (almond) syrup, triple sec, and a splash of simple syrup. The flavors of almond, orange, and lime are excellent paired with lavender. Simply replace a portion of the simple syrup with lavender simple syrup for new layers of flavor.

8) Strawberry Lavender Mojito

Just about everyone loves a refreshing Mojito and this lavender and strawberry flavored one takes the Cuban classic to the next level.

• 2 oz white rum
• 1 oz lime juice
• 3/4 oz lavender simple syrup
• 2-3 strawberries
• 8-10 mint leaves
• Sparkling water

Muddle a few strawberries in a cocktail shaker. Add two ounces of white rum, an ounce of lime juice, three quarters of an ounce of lavender simple syrup, and a handful of mint leaves.

Shake the ingredients with ice and fine strain the liquid into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with chilled sparkling water and garnish with strawberries and mint.

You might also enjoy my Pink Coconut Mojito!

9) Lavender French 75

The French 75 is a cocktail that was supposedly created in 1915 during World War I by Harry MacElhone, the owner of Harry’s New York Bar in Paris. The drink is made with gin (or sometimes Cognac), champagne, lemon juice, and sugar, and is often served in a champagne flute.

• 1 oz gin
• 1/2 oz lemon juice
• 1/2 oz lavender simple syrup
• Top with chilled champagne

This delicious bubbly cocktail is exquisite with lavender simple syrup in place of plain simple syrup. Lavender, lemon, and gin are an unbeatably fresh combination and the luxurious effervescence of champagne bubbles make it the most luxurious lavender cocktail of the bunch.

Combine one ounce of gin with a half ounce of lavender simple syrup and a half ounce of fresh lemon juice in a champagne flute. Top with chilled champagne and garnish with a lemon twist or a sprig of fresh lavender.

Tip: chill your gin and lavender syrup ahead of time, if possible, for the best-tasting Lavender French 75.

10) Lavender Lemonade

The most classic lavender drink is simple Lavender Lemonade! Like many of the above recipes, just replace the simple syrup you’d use for regular lemonade with lavender simple syrup.

• 2 oz spirit of choice (omit and make it a mocktail)
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1 oz lavender simple syrup
• Chilled still or sparkling water

Lemonade can be make still or sparkling, and adding an ounce or two of any spirit you like transforms this lavender lemonade into a fancy spring or summer cocktail.

Want more like this? Try my Vintage-Style Lemonade Recipe or my Lilac Gin Lemonade.

To make a glass for one, combine two ounces of your spirit of choice with one ounce of lemon juice and one ounce of lavender simple syrup. Pour the ingredients over ice and top with chilled still or sparkling water. Garnish with a lemon wheel, a sprig of fresh lavender and enjoy!

How to make your own lavender simple syrup

Lavender simple syrup is very easy to make. Combine equal parts water and sugar in a small saucepan, add a sprinkle of dried (food grade) lavender flowers and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the liquid cool fully before straining out the flowers. Store the syrup in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Lavender Simple Syrup ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup dried lavender flowers

Find beautifully fragrant, organic dried lavender at Mountain Rose Herbs. I haven’t purchased lavender on Amazon before, but if I find one I like, I’ll add the link.

Learn more about floral simple syrups in my Lilac Simple Syrup Recipe.

You may also enjoy these other spring cocktails:

• Yellowjacket (Bees Knees riff with Chartreuse)
• Piccolo Giardino (Amaro Cocktail with Lavender Bitters)
• Raspberry Rose Floradora
• Strawberry Rhubarb Gin Sour