Coffee shops, restaurants, retailers and bars are capitalizing on demand for the herby, purple flower with lattes, cocktails and chocolates.
A year ago, Jonathan Grahm, a chocolatier, visited Paris and noticed the ubiquity of lavender in French soaps and lotions. He wanted to add a floral-leaning chocolate to his lineup at Compartés, a confectionery shop in Los Angeles established in 1950, and figured that lavender was his way in.
Mr. Grahm harnessed his inspiration into a lavender white chocolate bar using flower buds from farmers’ markets in California. It was a tricky experiment, but now the pastel-purple bar is one of the company’s most popular, with more than 10,000 sold in the last year. For Mother’s Day, Mr. Grahm has doubled down, creating a floral-themed holiday box featuring a chocolate truffle made with grapefruit and lavender.
“Lavender is a really beautiful scent,” he said. “I really wanted to translate that to a chocolate.”
In the fall, consumers clamor for anything with the warm flavors of pumpkin spice. But as tulips and daffodils start to blossom, lavender, a member of the mint family, has become the taste of the season — even though the plant doesn’t bloom until the summer.
Starbucks, Bluestone Lane, About Coffee and other craft coffee shops have introduced exceedingly popular lattes and matcha drinks featuring the flower. Bars in New York and Los Angeles are serving cocktails infused or sprinkled with lavender buds. Companies like Jeni’s and Salt and Straw have produced ice cream flavors with the herb.
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