Drink of the Month: Lavender Cocktail (with Lavender Fondue!)

Yesterday Jenny, Brittany and I had a little Lavender Party in Britt's back garden to celebrate the unseasonably warm weather that we've had here in Seattle. 
Here is the recipe we used for our yummy Lavender Cocktails
2-3 oz Gin 
3/4 oz Lavender Simple Syrup (see recipe below)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1 dash Bitters
2-3 sprigs Mint

Muddle mint sprigs in lime juice, bitters and simple syrup. Add gin and ice, shake, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a mint leaf and lavender. 


Jenny made the delicious Lavender Syrup beforehand:
• 1/4 cup Lavender Flowers (stripped from stalk)
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Water
Add ingredients to a pot. Heat while stirring with a spoon until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let sit for 2 hours. Strain into a bottle or other container, and store in the refrigerator. 

We also had a delicious Lavender Goat Cheese Fondue using the Palace Kitchen's recipe!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup dry Riesling 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender blossoms
• 1 cup (8 oz.) herb-flavor fresh chèvre (goat) cheese
• Pepper
• 2 Fuji apples (1/2 lb. each), rinsed, cored, and sliced 
• Preparation
• • In a 1- to 2-quart pan or fondue pan over high heat, boil wine and lavender until reduced to 1/4 cup, 6 to 8 minutes.
  • Reduce heat to medium-high, add chèvre, and stir until boiling, about 4 minutes. Add pepper to taste. Set pan over a candle or on an electric warming tray.
  • Use forks or thin wood skewers to spear bread and apple slices and dunk them into fondue.
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• PS. Brittany prepared the other delish dishes you see above including the Japanese Cucumber Salad and Cilantro Lime White Bean Hummus. 
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• (Cocktail recipe inspired by Cocktail Virgin. Photos by our own Jenny of JKoe Photography).