Ingredients
Butterfly Pea Flower Tea
- A Handful of Butterfly Blue Pea Flowers
- 1 cup boiling filtered water
- 2 cups filtered water (room temperature)
Sugar Syrup
- 1 cup brown sugar (or your favorite natural sweetener)
- 1 cup water (to dissolve the sugar - skip if using natural sweeteners like maple, honey, or agave)
Additional Ingredients
- 1-2 lemons (for color change)
- Few drops of lavender extract (optional)
- Ice (for serving, optional for slushies)
Instructions
- Make Sugar Syrup: Dissolve 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 cup water over low heat for a few minutes until completely dissolved. Set aside to cool. If using maple, honey, or agave, skip the water and dissolve accordingly.
- Steep Butterfly Pea Flower Tea: Put a handful of butterfly pea flowers in 1 cup boiling filtered water and steep for approximately 5 minutes until the liquid turns a deep blue. Strain out the flowers.
- Combine Lemonade Mixture: In a large jug, combine the cooled sugar syrup, the steeped butterfly pea flower tea, and 2 cups of room temperature filtered water. Mix well.
- Add Lavender Extract (Optional): If desired, add a few drops of lavender extract to the mixture for a soothing floral note. Stir to combine.
- Color Change with Lemon Juice: Serve the beverage with lemon halves so guests can squeeze the lemon juice themselves, or pre-squeeze 1-2 lemons and add juice to individual servings. When lemon juice is added, the color transforms from blue to a vivid purple, creating a magical effect.
- Make Slushie Ice Cubes: To prepare slushies, steep the butterfly pea flowers as above and pour the tea into ice cube trays. Freeze completely.
- Prepare Lemonade Slushie Syrup: Make sugar syrup again as in step 1, but this time mix lemon juice directly into the syrup.
- Crush Blue Ice Cubes: When ready to serve, use a food processor or ice crusher to crush the butterfly pea flower ice cubes, leaving a mix of fine and chunkier ice pieces for texture.
- Assemble the Slushies: Fill glasses with the crushed blue ice cubes, pour lemon syrup over the ice, then top with still or sparkling water. Stir gently and watch the color transform as the lemon syrup mixes with the blue ice. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Use filtered water for best clarity and flavor.
- You can substitute brown sugar with natural sweeteners, but dissolve them accordingly.
- Butterfly pea flowers are safe and edible; they provide natural color and antioxidants.
- Adding lemon juice induces a natural pH change that alters the tea's anthocyanin color from blue to purple.
- Lavender extract is optional and adds a nice floral aroma and taste.
- For a sparkling variation, top the drink with sparkling water instead of still water.
- To make the drink vegan, ensure the sweetener used is plant-based (avoid honey).
- Ice cube trays must be freezer safe; allow full freezing time (at least 4-6 hours).
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Beverage
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Fusion
- Diet: Vegan
