Name: Butterfly Pea Flower Spritzer
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons dried butterfly pea flower; 2 teaspoons minced lemongrass; ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger; ¾ cup boiling water; 1 teaspoon honey; 1 cup seltzer , divided; 1 teaspoon lime juice , divided

Why This Recipe Works

In Thailand and Vietnam, butterfly pea flower tea is a popular drink. While we love it hot, we wanted to make a visually arresting, super-fun spritzer for the warmer months. Using what we learned in our tea chapter, we tried making this drink with our regular tea, but the flavor was too muted once chilled. To combat this, we doubled the concentration and used our iced tea method (instead of our hot one) so we could draw out more of the delicate floral flavors of the tea. The color starts blue in a neutral or basic environment and turns progressively red as more acid is introduced. A little lime juice added directly to the glass with seltzer turned the drink a beautiful purple. To get the layering effect, we filled the bottom of the glass with honey, seltzer, and lime, then poured the blue tea onto the ice so the distinct layers were maintained.

Before You Begin

Before mincing lemongrass, trim to bottom 6 inches, then peel and discard tough outer layers. For an accurate measurement of boiling water, bring a kettle of water to a boil and then measure out the desired amount. Butterfly pea flower can be purchased at specialty tea shops, health stores, or online.

Instructions

Place butterfly pea flower, lemongrass, and ginger in medium bowl. Add boiling water and let steep for 10 minutes. Add ice water and steep for 1 hour. Strain through fine-mesh strainer into container. Stir in honey until dissolved. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.

Fill 2 chilled glasses with ice. Add ½ cup seltzer and ½ teaspoon lime juice to each glass and stir to combine. Gently pour in ½ cup prepared butterfly pea flower tea. Top with additional ice and serve.