Lavender: My First Signature Syrup
Opening Pour
Lavender syrup was the first signature syrup I ever created. I had created all of the early systems for making great coffee drinks and was ready to go into the unknown territory of house-made flavors. It felt super intimidating and like something that only the elite coffee wizards of the greatest shops could do. Turns out, making amazing house-made syrups is not as scary as it sounds.
Lavender is a lot of fun to work with because, at face value, it seems like a flower doesn’t belong in coffee. Yet, lavender brings a nuance and complexity that creates a totally different coffee and tea experience than any typical caramel or vanilla.
This syrup has been a part of our Crown Brew menu since 2018 and has starred in a lot of great signature drinks like Crown Jule, Purple Haze, Hey Arnold, Matcha Blossom, Fresh Prince, and everyday favorites like honey lavender lattes and our lavender lemonade.
Three Ingredients. That’s It.
Lavender syrup sounds elevated, but it’s built on a very simple foundation:
Filtered water
White sugar
Culinary dried lavender
No fillers. No shortcuts. Just a clean, balanced syrup that works across everything.
The Home Batch (This Is All You Need)
250g water
250g sugar
4g culinary dried lavender
Store in a 16oz mason jar
Yields about 12 servings
Want to scale it? Double the recipe and store it in a 32oz mason jar
Shelf life: Up to 1 month in the fridge
How to Make It
Bring water to a boil
Add sugar and stir until dissolved
Let it simmer briefly (about 1 minute)
Remove from heat
Add lavender
Let steep for 30–60 minutes, stirring occasionally
Strain and store
That's it — a straightforward process that's easy to repeat and hard to mess up.
How We Actually Use Lavender
Lavender works best when it’s balanced- present enough to be tasted, restrained enough to let the coffee or tea still speak. Within that balance, it’s one of the most versatile syrups you can keep in your fridge. We don’t just use it on its own- we use it as a foundation to build entirely different flavor profiles.
Here’s how I use it:
Latte (Cold Brew or Espresso)
30–40g lavender syrup
Milk + coffee
Balanced and floral without being overwhelming
Iced Green Tea
Around 40g lavender syrup
Your favorite green tea
One of the cleanest, most refreshing drinks you can make
Lavender Lemonade
This is one of the best uses of lavender we’ve ever built.
225g fresh squeezed lemon juice
500g lavender syrup
1000g water
Yields about a half gallon
Bright, floral, and extremely drinkable. This is our recipe straight from the café. We have made thousands of servings of this lemonade and love experimenting with it in signature drinks.
Using Lavender as a Base (This Is Where It Gets Fun)
Lavender isn’t just a standalone syrup. We use it as a foundation to build other flavors.
Honey Lavender (Perfect for Lattes)
20g lavender syrup
15g honey
Note: You can also batch this. Mix 4 parts lavender syrup with 3 parts honey while the syrup is still warm and you have a batch of honey lavender syrup ready to go for a month in the fridge.
Blossom Syrup (Lavender + Rose)
20g lavender syrup
20g rose syrup
This is what we use for drinks like Matcha Blossom or Blossom Latte.
Once you have lavender made, you’re not starting from scratch anymore. You’re building on top of something solid.
Tips from a Barista
Don’t boil your lavender.
If you cook lavender too hard or too long, it starts to taste bitter and “soapy” fast. That’s where most people go wrong.
Kill the heat before you add the lavender, then let it steep gently. Treat it like a loose-leaf tea. We are steeping, not cooking. The heat is gently extracting the flavor.
Closing Thought
Looking back, this was the first flavor that felt like it belonged to us. Just simple ingredients, used well, and built into something people remembered.
And it all started with a small batch and a little curiosity.
Brew it better,
Josh, Founder Brew It Better