The hot weather is rearing its head and we’re all looking for ways to cool down. We’ve scoured some unique recipes for easy-to-make drinks that uses our beautiful blue butterfly pea flowers – so rest assured that simply looking at these drinks will satisfy your thirst.
This flower contains a high concentration of a blue-violet plant pigment called anthocyanin. When its environment is acidic, it slowly turns from blue to purple hues, creating a lovely magenta. And you guessed it – this acidity is best found in citrus-rich foods, like lemons. And, as a happy coincidence, lemons are the perfect deterrent to built-up heat in the body.
So, treat yourself to some exquisite purple drinks that also nourish your body while looking divine:
Blue Butterfly Pineapple Tea
from My Blue Tea.
Start with a fresh pineapple, cut into small pieces. Add these pieces and about 20 dried petals of the Blue Butterfly Pea flower to 3 litres (or more, depending on the size of the pineapple) and bring to boil over half an hour. Add your preferred sweetener such as sugar, honey, stevia. You can also choose to put no sweetener if it’s not to your taste!
When you take it off the heat, the drink should be a lovely purple colour. Put some sage in the still warm mix, and let it cool. After it has cooled, add mint. You can also put some more sage in if you like.
Your drink is done! Put it in the refrigerator, and serve with crushed ice to really beat the heat. Add any additional mint or herbs for further garnishing and give yourself and your guests a delightful beverage to enjoy.
If you think half an hour is too long to prepare a drink – don’t worry. We have a quick fix solution for you, using the butterfly pea powder rather than the whole flowers.
Add a teaspoon of the powder to tepid water, that is, a mixture of four cups of boiling water and four cups of ice water. Cool slightly, and then pour in about one to one and a half cup of fresh pineapple juice and one-third cup of lemon juice. Garnish with sage and mint, and bring out the crushed ice for a final flair before serving.
Sparkling Blue Syrup
The beauty of this recipe is that it’s a one-time investment. You can make a batch of this syrup and store it, and serve it as and when required. More than that, it’s deceptively easy – just take 150ml of water, 150ml of sugar, and one tablespoon of the butterfly tea powder to make the syrup. Bigger batches can be made in proportion.
To serve, fill a glass with ice. Pour in 40ml of the syrup, and adjust according to taste. Top up with 150ml of soda and 30 ml of lemon juice and wait for your violet colour to form. Voila! A light drink for the humid climate.
Magic Butterfly Pea Lemonade
from Love and Olive Oil.
If soda isn’t your (ahem) cup of tea, fret not. Here’s a soda-free version of the same recipe. Steep the butterfly pea flowers along with sugar and hot water to make a vibrant blue sugar syrup. This will make up half the final lemonade, for the other half simply mix lemon juice and water.
Get your butterfly pea flowers or powder, and strap in for the heat.