Lavender Apple Mint Syrup

When I was in Germany earlier this month, I went to the Frankfurt Kleinmarkthalle, an indoor marketplace selling both freshly prepared food and lots of hard-to-find, high quality cooking ingredients from around the world. I wish I'd gotten there sooner -- I was there right before it closed for the day and had just eaten so basically the worst time I could go. Of note were these really delicious looking deli sandwiches, a couple of stalls selling fancy coffee drinks, a chocolate shop where I bought acorn-shaped Belgian pralines, and a bunch of stalls on the upper floor that resembled an Italian butcher shop and deli. Again, I was kind of sad that I had eaten right before I went there.

One of the things I saw for sale while wandering the aisles was a bottle of lavender apple mint syrup. I didn't buy it because I wasn't sure I'd be allowed to bring it home in my carry-on luggage but the combination of those flavors sounded so good to me that I had to try making it for myself. Never mind that I didn't know what I was going to do with it. I could not find a recipe for it, so the below is based on my experiences developing a recipe for ginger syrup (mainly that an ingredient is going to impart a much stronger flavor if pureed rather than chopped) plus a couple of recipes that already existed for lavender mint syrup (without apple). I am pleased with my first crack at it and think I've got a good start here but I would make a couple of changes next time to make it even better.

Notes:

• I made this with a Honeycrisp apple but I think a sour apple (like Granny Smith) would taste even better.
• I am considering adding more lavender next time, maybe 1 1/2 tbsp instead of 1, because I could taste it but I wanted it to be a little more prominent. A sour apple might bring it out more.
• My syrup turned out a bit darker in color than the one at the Kleinmarkthalle (theirs was the color of apple flesh, a pale yellow, and a little bit cloudy) and I think this is due to the kind of apple used, and maybe because I left the skin on. Lavender can darken the mixture too, in my experience.
• My favorite way to enjoy this syrup so far is to mix it with plain sparkling water or green tea. I had the tea hot, but  think it would be even better iced. I tried it mixed with sparkling water and gin but I didn't like it. I am sure there's a way to make a good cocktail with it and I just haven't discovered it.

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RECIPE:

Lavender Apple Mint Syrup
by The Matcha Chronicles
Makes about 2 cups

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 large tart apple
1 tbsp dried culinary lavender buds
1/4 oz (7 g) fresh mint leaves (no stems)

Core and dice the apple, leaving skin on. Place sugar and water in a small saucepan and set on the stove. Add diced apple to the saucepan. Set heat to high and bring to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer contents to a blender. Blend on medium-high speed for about 20 seconds or until apple has broken down significantly. Return syrup mixture to the saucepan. Stir in dried lavender. Clap the mint leaves between your hands, then add to the pan and stir to combine. Cover and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain with a tea strainer and let cool. Transfer to a glass jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Matcha Green Tea Mojito

For our inaugural tea party menu, we looked for summery cocktails that contained tea since they sounded a lot more refreshing than hot tea in the middle of July. I wanted one with black tea and one with green tea, and I chose this one for the green tea drink!

Notes:

• The original recipe calls for 1.5-2 fl oz of the green tea syrup. I used 1.5 fl oz and even then it tasted quite sweet to me, so I recommend 1.5 oz. You can add more if you like it sweeter.
• I like a strong green tea taste so I doubled the amount of matcha from the original recipe.
• The original recipe says to muddle the mint, but people have a wide variety of ideas as to how muddling should be done. The goal of muddling is so that the mint releases its flavor, but what most people want and find pleasant to taste is the sweet, cool aromatic compounds in the oil just below the surface of the leaf, and not the bitter vegetal flavors you might get in addition from tearing or mashing the leaves. Clapping the mint between my hands has been the most successful way for me to achieve the sweet, cool mint flavor I am looking for in my drinks, so I recommend doing that instead, especially if you don't have a proper muddler or professional bartender training. (Plus, it makes your hands smell good.)

Verdict: Mojitos are not something I have often because they require simple syrup and fresh mint (neither of which I generally have on hand) and I don't think I've ever made or had one that really knocked my socks off. That said, this was my favorite attempt yet. I found this refreshing and would definitely have it again.

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RECIPE:

Matcha Green Tea Mojito
adapted from 40 Aprons
Serves 1

For each drink:
5 fresh mint leaves, rinsed and dried, plus extra if desired for garnish
1.5 fl oz (45 ml) matcha simple syrup, recipe follows
2 fl oz (60 ml) white rum
1 fl oz (30 ml) plain vodka
About 3/4-1 cup crushed ice
Club soda or plain sparkling water
Green tea bag tags (optional, for garnish)

Matcha simple syrup (makes enough for 2 drink servings):
1/3 cup (67 g) sugar
1/3 cup (80 ml) water
1 tsp matcha

Make the matcha simple syrup: Place sugar and water in a small saucepan over high heat on the stove, and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat. Measure matcha into a small heatproof bowl. Add about 2 tsp of the sugar syrup to the matcha and stir to make a paste, making sure it is thoroughly blended (matcha will not dissolve). Repeat with another small amount of sugar syrup. Whisk in the remaining sugar syrup until thoroughly combined, then let cool completely. If not using immediately, store in the refrigerator in a clean glass jar.

Prepare the drink: Clap the mint leaves between your hands to release their aroma, then place in the bottom of a collins glass. Add matcha syrup, rum, and vodka, and stir until combined. Fill glass about 2/3 full with coarsely crushed ice, then top with club soda or sparkling water. Garnish with a sprig of mint and/or tea bag tag. Serve immediately.