Sparkling Butterfly Pea Flower Lemonade with Honey & Mint
Pea Lemonade
Vibrant blue-to-pink lemonade sweetened with honey, brightened with fresh lemon and mint.
Nutrition (per serving)
This Sparkling Butterfly Pea Flower Lemonade is one of those recipes I love to pull out when I want to wow friends — it starts a brilliant indigo and, with a squeeze of lemon, blushes into pink. It’s floral, lightly sweet, and impossibly pretty, perfect for summer porch sipping, brunch, or a celebratory nonalcoholic cocktail.
The method is simple: steep butterfly pea flowers to make a vibrant tea, sweeten with a quick honey syrup, brighten with fresh lemon juice, and finish with sparkling water and mint. Play with the color change at the table — it’s a tiny bit of chemistry and a lot of fun.
Ingredients
- Dried butterfly pea flowers:2 tbsp
- Hot water (for infusion):4 cups
- Honey:1/2 cup
- Hot water (to dissolve honey):1/4 cup
- Fresh lemon juice:1 cup
- Sparkling water (chilled):4 cups
- Fresh mint leaves:10 pieces
- Ice cubes:4 cups
- Lemons (sliced, for garnish):2 pieces
Instructions
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Bring 4 cups of water to a near boil, remove from heat, and add the dried butterfly pea flowers. Steep for 5 minutes until the liquid is a deep blue, then strain into a heatproof bowl and discard the flowers.
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While the tea is warm, stir together the 1/2 cup honey and 1/4 cup hot water until the honey dissolves to make a honey syrup. Taste and adjust sweetness if desired.
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Allow the butterfly pea tea and honey syrup to cool to room temperature, then stir in the fresh lemon juice. The mixture will begin to shift color toward purple/pink as the acidity increases.
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Pour the mixture into a large pitcher, add the chilled sparkling water and most of the mint leaves, and gently stir to combine. Add ice to the pitcher or fill individual glasses with ice and pour over.
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Garnish with lemon slices and remaining mint leaves. Serve immediately so the fizz stays lively; at the table, encourage guests to watch the blue deepen and blush as lemon is added to individual glasses.
Tips & Notes
- For a vegan version, swap the honey for equal parts simple syrup made from granulated sugar.
- Make the butterfly pea infusion ahead and chill it — then assemble with sparkling water just before serving to keep the drink fizzy.
- If you like a stronger color change, add lemon juice to individual glasses rather than the whole pitcher so each guest can watch the transformation.
