Maui Lavender-Mint Iced Tea

June 10: National Iced Tea Day

On one of our visits to Maui, we drove up-country to Kula (meaning “open meadows” in Hawaiian) to the serene and fragrant Ali’i Kula Lavender (AKL) farm. The pastel purple fields provided a vivid hue to the landscape of the gentle slopes of the Haleakala (“House of the Sun”) hillside, a contrast to the turquoise-blue ocean view in the distance below. At the lavender farm, we enjoyed walking through the cool gardens of lush tropical foliage, snacking on lavender gourmet shortbread cookies and lavender scones, sipping lavender iced tea and browsing in their gift shop. We bought a few products, including culinary lavender, which we used to make lavender-mint iced tea for National Iced Tea Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Martha Stewart Weddings)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon dried lavender (we used AKL Maui culinary lavender)
• ¼ cup fresh mint sprigs
• 4 cups boiling water
• honey to sweeten (we used Big Island Bees Macadamia Nut Blossom Honey)
• lemon slices to garnish

Directions

In a large glass bowl lined with a strainer, pour the boiling water over the lavender and mint. Steep for five minutes, then strain the liquid into a pitcher. Sweeten with honey to taste. Refrigerate the tea for a few hours. Pour the tea over ice. Garnish with lemon slices and serve chilled. Yield: 2-3 servings per tall glass.

Notes

• Lavender is a fragrant herb known for its relaxing and calming effects. This tea helps to ease insomnia when sipped before bedtime.
• Learn more health tips associated with lavender from the Alii Kula Lavendar Maui website.
• Thanks to Islander’s parents for the Big Island honey.
• Look for more lavender-based recipes on our blog, such as our lavender macarons.