Description
This Butterfly Pea Flower Lemonade is a visually stunning, color-changing beverage that transforms from deep blue to vibrant purple with the addition of lemon juice. It’s a refreshing, light drink perfect for summer days, parties, or a unique science-meets-food experience, boasting natural ingredients and delightful flavors.
Ingredients
Tea Base
- 1 cup dried butterfly pea flowers
- 4 cups water (for steeping)
Lemonade
- ¾–1 cup fresh lemon juice (to taste)
- ½–¾ cup sugar or honey (to taste)
- 2 cups cold water (to dilute)
- Ice cubes, for serving
- Lemon slices or edible flowers, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Boil Water and Steep: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Remove from heat, then add the dried butterfly pea flowers to the hot water.
- Steeping Time: Cover the pot and let the flowers steep for 10 to 15 minutes until the water turns a vivid deep blue color.
- Strain Tea: Strain out the butterfly pea flowers carefully and allow the resulting tea to cool slightly before proceeding.
- Sweeten the Tea: Stir in the sugar or honey until it fully dissolves into the tea, ensuring a consistent sweetness throughout.
- Dilute: Add 2 cups of cold water to dilute the tea to a lemonade consistency and chill the mixture as desired.
- Add Lemon Juice and Watch Color Change: Just before serving, slowly add fresh lemon juice and stir gently. Observe the captivating color shift from deep blue to vibrant purple caused by the pH change.
- Serve: Pour the lemonade over ice cubes and garnish with lemon slices or edible flowers for an elegant presentation.
Notes
- Add lemon juice gradually to control the final shade of the purple color.
- For a fizzy version, substitute cold water with sparkling water.
- Store the butterfly pea flower tea separately and only add lemon juice right before serving to maintain the best color-changing effect.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Beverages
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Asian-Inspired
