This raspberry lavender mocktail is proof that a non-alcoholic drink can still feel like a real treat. Fresh raspberries, a quick honey lavender simple syrup, and a squeeze of lime come together with sparkling water for a summery, floral, berry beverage that's ready in about 15 minutes.
I wasn't always a fan of mocktails. For a while, I thought they were just another fad. Yet as I've created more mocktail recipes and experimented with flavors without relying on alcohol, I'm learning to appreciate them more and more.
It helps that I don't have to look much further than the herbs and flowers of my garden for inspiration. And for this alcohol-free summery drink recipe, it was lavender.
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I had cut back a couple of my lavender plants earlier in the summer, which helps to promote a second flowering later in the season. The bunches were hanging in my kitchen to dry while we started picking summer raspberries, and I figured the two flavors would make an excellent mocktail.
😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's a beautiful balance of fruity and floral. It's easy to overwhelm the senses when it comes to lavender, so this recipe uses just enough to add a mild, pleasant flavor.
- A light honey lavender syrup adds sweetness without being too much. Oftentimes mocktail recipes rely on juice or a lot of sweeteners for flavor and substance. But in this drink, just a small amount of infused honey lavender syrup is all it takes.
- It's easy to prep a batch in advance. The honey syrup already makes enough for multiple mocktails, and it's easy enough to prep some more raspberry puree while you're at it.
If you like lavender, you'll also want to check out my blueberry lavender lemonade. It's a rich and creamy lemonade that's refreshing and unique. Lavender can also be good for flavoring meats, along with other herbs like sage, which is what I did in these grilled pork chops with herbs.
🪻 Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make this lavender raspberry mocktail.
- Dried Lavender: There are various types of lavender, but for culinary purposes, you should choose dried edible (English variety) lavender for this mocktail. It has a milder flavor that doesn't resemble the taste of soap or perfume, like the French and Spanish varieties. If growing lavender in your garden, cut it back in early summer and again in fall when the buds are vibrant and have not yet opened. Then hang them to dry in a cool place out of direct sunlight for a few weeks before storing. You can also buy dried lavender from your local food co-op or health food store - look for it with the bulk herbs and spices - or through various online retailers.
- Honey: Combined with water and gently heated, honey makes a simple syrup that's lighter than the standard recipe and complements the other ingredients in this mocktail. A standard light honey is perfect. Local honey is even better.
- Raspberries: Either fresh or frozen raspberries will work here. If frozen, defrost the raspberries; in summer, this won't take long at room temperature.
- Lime: Fresh lime juice adds brightness and acidity to the drink while a slice of lime serves as a garnish. For the juiciest limes, look for ones with smoother skin and that feel heavy.
- Seltzer, club soda, or other bubbly water: Use whatever you prefer and feel free to experiment with complementary flavors. I've made this with Fever-Tree's lime and yuzu sparkling water, and the extra citrus flavor was a nice addition. But I've also used homemade seltzer from my Soda Stream, and that was good, too.
Check out the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.
🫐 Substitutions & Variations
- Other berries: Try this mocktail with black raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries. Not all berries will require straining the fruit puree, just those with lots of seeds.
- Lemon: Replace the lime with fresh lemon for an equally bright, complementary citrus.
- Maple syrup: A deeper flavor, but would be just as good in place of the honey.
- Fresh lavender: You can use fresh lavender here if you haven't dried yours yet. Use a little more than dried, about 1 ½ tablespoons.
🔪 Instructions
- Step 1: In a small saucepan, add ½ cup water, ½ cup honey, and 1 tablespoon dried lavender buds. Bring to a gentle simmer. Then turn off the heat and let it steep for 30 minutes.
- Step 2: Strain the honey syrup into a jar. This makes about 1 cup, which is enough for eight drinks or plenty of other uses. Store in the fridge for up to a month.
- Step 3: Mash the raspberries with the water using a mortar and pestle if you have one, or crush with a heavy spoon in a bowl, or use a blender, if you prefer.
- Step 4: Strain the raspberry puree through a mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Press well to get out all of the liquid.
- Step 5: Squeeze ½ of the lime for fresh juice and slice the other half for garnishing.
- Step 6: To make the drink, fill your glass halfway with ice.
- Step 7: Pour over half of the raspberry puree.
- Step 8: Add the lavender syrup.
- Step 9: Then add the lime juice.
- Step 10: Top off with your preferred bubbly water, such as club soda or seltzer. Gently stir to combine everything, then garnish with a lime slice and an optional lavender sprig.
✨ Top Tip
- The strength of dried lavender can vary a bit. That's why you want to taste the honey syrup to make sure it has enough flavor before taking out the lavender buds.
- Don't forget to stir the mocktail to incorporate the syrup and puree.
- To make a larger batch of mocktails, you can puree more raspberries as needed. Use ½ cup for every 2 drinks.
🍳 Equipment
Mesh strainer: Necessary to strain out the raspberry seeds so they don't end up in your drink.
Blender: Not required, but if you want to quickly puree the raspberries, it's the easiest option. Though you can also use a mortar and pestle or a heavy spoon.
🧴 Storage
Lavender simple syrup: Store in an airtight bottle in the fridge for up to a month. Aside from using it to make more mocktails, try it to flavor a latte or tossed with fruit in a fruit salad.
🙋🏻♂️ FAQ
I tried to balance the flavor here so that the lavender flavor was present but not overwhelming. If after 30 minutes of steeping, you find that the syrup doesn't have enough flavor, you can let it sit and continue steeping for another 30 minutes. If it still doesn't have enough lavender flavor at that point, add another ½ tablespoon of dried lavender buds to the pot, bring it to a simmer again, and let it steep another 30 minutes.
You can make the lavender syrup up to a month in advance and the raspberry puree 3-4 days ahead of time. But assemble each drink only when you're ready to serve. I don't recommend making a big batch in a jug because the syrup and puree may settle to the bottom.
If you must - yes. But use a high quality juice, not the cheapest one on the store shelf. I recommend Santa Cruz Organic 100% Juice, which is not from concentrate.
🥐 Pairing
Try serving this lavender mocktail with one of my other recipes:
📖 Recipe
Raspberry Lavender Mocktail
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 mocktails, plus extra honey syrup 1x
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
Description
This raspberry lavender mocktail is proof that a non-alcoholic drink can still feel like a real treat. Fresh raspberries, a quick honey lavender simple syrup, and a squeeze of lime come together with soda water for a summery, floral berry beverage that's ready in about 15 minutes.
Ingredients
For the honey lavender syrup:
- ½ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon dried lavender buds, loosely packed
For the mocktails:
- ½ cup fresh raspberries
- 2-3 limes
- club soda/seltzer/other bubbly water
- ice
- lavender sprigs, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Make the lavender honey syrup: In a small saucepan, combine ½ cup water, ½ cup honey, and 1 tablespoon dried lavender buds. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes. Taste, and if it's to your liking, strain out the lavender, pressing gently to extract the liquid, and let cool completely. If it is not strong enough, you can let the lavender steep for another 30 minutes. This syrup can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to a month. This makes about 8 ounces, which is enough for 8 mocktails.
- Make the raspberry puree: Add ½ cup fresh raspberries (or defrosted, if frozen) and 2 tablespoons water to a blender. Blend until smooth, then strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Alternatively, if you don't want to bother with a blender, you can use a mortar and pestle or even a heavy spoon to mash the fruit in a bowl.
- Juice the limes: Gently roll two of the limes on the counter a few times to help loosen the juice. Cut the limes in half and squeeze or use a press to juice. You'll need about 2 ounces of lime juice. Slice the third lime into rounds for garnishing.
- Build the drink: Fill a tall glass about halfway with ice. Pour the raspberry puree into the glass first, then the cooled lavender honey syrup, followed by the lime juice. Top with your choice of carbonated water and gently stir to combine.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish each drink with a lavender sprig (if available) and a slice of lime.
Notes
The strength of dried lavender can vary a bit. That's why you want to taste the honey syrup to make sure it has enough flavor before taking out the lavender buds.
Don't forget to stir the mocktail to incorporate the syrup and puree.
To make a larger batch of mocktails, you can puree more raspberries as needed. Use ½ cup for every 2 drinks.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: American
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