fairy garden matcha latte
coming up with new coffee and tea recipes is such a fun process! a little over a year ago, I started making my own botanical simple syrups to add to cocktails and lattes and sparkling water - rosemary citrus, lilac, violet, rose, hibiscus…so many options, primarily sourced from my yard!
lately, I’ve been drinking a lot of matcha and wanted to experiment and ended up with this gorgeous blue latte with a light floral taste - the fairy garden latte. it’s truly delightful in every way and tastes like spring to me.
making the violet simple syrup requires wild violets. wild violets grow in the woods behind our house, and since I know they aren’t sprayed, Alden and I grabbed our baskets and went back to pick as many as we could find.
MAKING THE VIOLET SYRUP
3 cups violet petals
1.5 cups water
1.5 cups cane sugar
gather all your violets and remove the green parts - make sure that you remove the entire stem and calyx from the violet, leaving only the petals. it’s tedious, I know - but so worth it. once you have all of your petals in a bowl, set it to the side. on low heat, mix the cane sugar and water together. add in the violet petals and stir. let simmer on low for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. remove from heat and let cool slightly. pour into large glass jar and let sit on your counter for about 24 hours.
after 24 hours, strain all of the violets out, and place in a jar. store in the fridge for up to 6 weeks.
INGREDIENTS
1 tsp matcha powder dissolved and stirred into hot water (this is the brand I buy! quality matcha is important here)
1 tsp butterfly pea flower powder dissolved and stirred into hot water (this is the brand I get!)
1 tsp - 1tbsp violet simple syrup* (depending on your taste preferences)
whole milk or oat milk
ice (if serving iced)
*If you don’t have violet syrup or access to wild violets to make it, you can also use rose simple syrup, simple syrup, or pure maple syrup in this recipe.
If you make this, I would love to see it and hear how much you love it! You can always post and tag me on Instagram @Hannah.jeffreys!