Last year I happened to be in Riga when the lilacs (ceriņi) were in full bloom. The scent and cloud like blooms is one of the things I miss a lot – we just don’t have them here in West coast of Australia.
I also happened to go to one of the Street Food events in Kalnciema Kvartāls, and one of the stalls was selling lilac ice tea. I tried it, I liked it, and, after a bit of research, it turned out it is very easy to make it t home.
If you happen to visit Latvia in mid-May, make sure you pop in Peteris Upitis’ Garden and Museum in Dobele for a picnic – they have more than 200 different varieties of lilacs and other lilac inspired goodies on offer.
I would advise to use fragrant lilacs growing in country side where they are less affected by traffic caused pollution, dirt and dust.
Ingredients
- 3 cups of lilac flowers, removed from stems
- 4 cups of boiling hot water
- Lemon,sugar, honey or maple syrup to serve
Instructions
- Place lilac flowers in a large heatproof jug.
- Add boiling water and leave overnight.
- Strain the liquid, discard the flowers.
- Dilute with more water, add preferred sweetener to taste - the tea will be very bitter at this stage.
- Serve with ice and slice of lemon, if desired.
