Lavender Vinegar Syrup

This recipe was developed by Celeste Leonard a wonderful NYC bartender and author of the blog swizzleandsmash.wordpress.com: 

"This is a super simple take on the classic colonial shrub recipe that I came up with after finding some delicious vinegars at a local farmers market. This vinegar syrup is a slightly different take on shrubs, in that it doesn’t necessarily preserve the fruit & its not made with apple cider vinegar. instead of extracting the juice with sugar & preserving it with vinegar, the flower or fruit is infused with vinegar then preserved with the addition of sugar.

The first step is to make a simple syrup. Instead of going to the fridge & measuring out a 1/2 c of chilled, pre-made simple syrup, you need the sugar to bind to the vinegar, so the simple syrup base has to be hot. you can heat your pre-made syrup if you’d like, but I just went ahead & made new simple syrup.”

Supplies Needed:
-1/4 c lavender infused vinegar
-1/4 c sugar (I used stevia)
-1/4 c water (measured AFTER you bring it to a boil)
-sealable container
-pot or kettle
-spoon
-measuring cup

Directions
1) Fill a pot or kettle with water & bring to a boil.
2) Measure your sugar & transfer to your container. once your water has reached a boil, carefully measure out your water & pour on top of your sugar in your container.
3) Grab your spoon & stir your syrup until most/ all of your sugar is dissolved.
4) Measure your lavender infused vinegar & pour in with simple syrup. give your syrup a final stir, or carefully seal your container & give it a little shake to facilitate the infusion.
5) You’re done! Make sure you label what you’ve just made with the date.

“I let my syrup sit for about 12 hours. I wanted the sugars to sit with the hot water long enough to dissolve completely, so the syrup had a smooth consistency. Upon getting home from work, I went straight to my container to check out the status on my syrup. it turned out great!”