Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup dried lavender
• 1 teaspoon pink peppercorns, plus more for garnish
• 1 vanilla bean
• 8 to 12 ounces good-quality vodka
• 1 liter club soda
• Sprigs of fresh lavender, for serving
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Browse by ingredient

Instructions

1. Combine the sugar, lavender, peppercorns and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out the seeds with the back of a paring knife and add them to the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring to submerge the lavender. Cook until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, and let the syrup steep for 10 minutes. Pour the lavender syrup through cheesecloth placed over a fine-mesh strainer, and refrigerate the syrup until completely cooled.
2. Fill 4 Collins glasses with ice. Add 2 to 3 ounces of vodka and 1 ounce of the lavender syrup into each glass, and top off with club soda. Crush some peppercorns on a cutting board with the back of a knife. Stir the cocktail with a long spoon, and garnish with lavender, lemon wedges and crushed peppercorns.