This is a repost of a fun collaboration I did with the lovely ladies at Chestnut Ridge, a modern and timeless events venue near Asheville, North Carolina. Scroll down or click here for a link to the full post over on their blog.

Thank everything that it is Spring! Tulips, red buds, & trees everywhere are blooming, and it is the daily dose of color and beauty that I need right now to keep going in this time of social distancing. So it is in the spirit of Spring and of creating our own little celebrations at home that I want to share with you a recipe to make Lilac Syrup. You can use this syrup in so many ways–one of which is to make a cocktail from it! In this blog you will learn how to make a Spring cocktail with ingredients you can find from your backyard and your pantry!

This recipe is a simple, classic cocktail that most everyone will have the ingredients for: a gin & tonic. Since we now live in a world where going to the grocery store is a risk to the health of ourselves, our families, and our community, making food and drinks with what we have on hand is crucial. I usually make this syrup with violets, but I finally pruned my lilac the right way and have loads of blooms to worth with this year. Edible flowers have a wonderful knack for lifting my spirits, and I hope they can offer you the same! Perhaps it isn’t the flowers, alone, though. The astringent gin may have a little to do with it!