Lavender Martini- #FlowerCocktailHour

Lavender Martini      I love to infuse vodka with flavors - especially flower flavors. This cocktail includes a Lavender vodka that I had infused with Lavender from the garden…the Lavender Martini- is tasty and beautiful too!You can Substitute lavender vodka for Plain Vodka- if you wish- to tone down the Lavender Flavor.It's also Possible to substitute a Lavender Flower Elixir to make non- alcohol version instead too... you can always have Fun with flowers- and be Creative!Here's the Ingredients for the Lavender Martini:•    2 ounces Lavender-Infused vodka•    ½ ounce fresh lemon juice (prefer to squeeze it fresh every time!)•    ¼ ounce lavender syrup recipe follows- I prefer to use the Lavender Flower Elixir- it's premade- and I love it...here's a link to the Flower Elixir Website- where you can purchase many flavors of Flower Elixirs!Place the ingredients in a shaker filled with Ice- shake vigorously and strain and pour into a martini glass...Garnish with a stem of Fresh Lavender- Organic from the garden! Enjoy!Watch J make this Flower Cocktail Hour favorite in Episode #306- Purple Passion of Life in Bloom HERE!Ingredients for Lavender Syrup Recipe:•    1 cup water•    1 cup sugar•    1 tablespoon dried lavender budsInstructions for Lavender SyrupPlace Sugar and water into a small pot- and heat on the stove...Bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.Remove from heat, add lavender buds and allow to infuse for 20 minutes.Strain, allow to cool completely and use to make cocktails, lemonade and mocktails.Store the remaining Syrup in an air- tight container or bottle in the refrigerator- lasts for 2 weeks!Here's another fun recipe- for Lavender sugar- you could place this on the rim of the glass if you wish!Lavender Sugar1-2 tablespoons lavender buds1 cup granulated sugarPlace lavender buds and sugar in food processor.Pulse until lavender is finely ground.Place sugar on baking sheet, allow to sit at room temperature to dry at least 1 hour.Spoon into jars or airtight container.Directions for Infusing Vodka with LavenderI chose- a good- yet not overly costly type of Vodka- my go to is Svedka- it works well and it blends nicely with just about any flower, vegetable, fruit or other items I use for infusing.I cut about 40 stems of FRESH Lavender in the garden... being sure to chose stems that have flowers and foliage!I NEVER use anything other than ORGANIC Fertilizers and never use pesticides in my garden- So I can ensure the flowers I grow are organic and safe! Be Sure to use ORGANIC Lavender... You can also purchase Organic Lavender Buds on Line- this works well too!I place the Lavender in a glass canister- that will hold a full 2 liters of Vodka- I pour in the vodka- over the lavender and allow it steep in a dark closet- at room temperature for 2-3 days- sometimes this goes faster- and I really like my Vodka infusions to be STRONGLY saturated- So I check it frequently and taste test to my desired flavor...Don't forget it... if it goes much longer than 5-7 days it will start to become bitter- Lavender is weird like that- so keep checking it - even after the first day- to make sure it doesn't get bitter or weird!Once it's the desired flavor- I strain the lavender and decant it back into the bottle- and place a label on it... I store at room temperature and in a dark closet- so the color won't fade! Lavender is unique- it's a NATURAL Anti-bacterial so you don't have to worry about vodka going bad- between the alcohol content and the Lavender- your NEW Flavorful booze will be fine!