Step 1

Collect violets that are free from pesticides. Remove leaves, stems and calyx-  basically remove everything that isn’t a purple petal.

Step 2

Bring 1 cup of filtered water to a simmer in a small pot. Turn the heat off, let the water stand 5 minutes to cool slightly, then add the violets to the pot, stir, and let cool completely. Do NOT boil the violets. Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand for at least 24 hours on the kitchen counter.

Step 3

Strain the violet-infused water through a fine-mesh sieve, gently pressing any additional liquid from the violets. Return strained violette water to a bain-marie. Add sugar. (For every cup of liquid yielded, add 1 cup of sugar)

Step 4

Stir sugar into the violet water over a bain-marie or in the same pot over very very low heat, just until the sugar dissolves and is incorporated.  DO NOT SIMMER or BOIL as you will lose the gorgeous color of the violets. Just warm enough to dissolve the sugar.  You should have a beautiful cool blue-hued syrup.

Step 5

To turn the syrup to more of a clear purple color as you see here, stir in one drop of lemon juice, one drop at a time (1-3 drops) or if you prefer the cool blue hue, leave the lemon out! Too much lemon will make the color completely disappear- so be careful here.

Step 6

Store the syrup in a bottle or jar in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.