In a small saucepan, gently warm the whipping cream and dried lavender until steaming. Do not boil.

Remove from heat. Allow mixture lavender to steep in the cream for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour.

Pass the infused cream through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the lavender.

Re-weigh cream. If necessary, top up with extra cream. You should have 240 milliliters (1 cup) total.

In a large bowl, combine lavender-infused cream, whole milk, and granulated sugar. Whisk until sugar dissolves. Whisk in vanilla extract, vodka (if using), fine sea salt, and purple gel food coloring, if using.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, or overnight.

Whisk chilled base briskly to recombine.

Pour into ice cream maker, with bowl frozen according to manufacturer’s instructions. Churn until thick and creamy, about 15-20 minutes. The consistency will resemble soft serve ice cream.

Scoop ice cream into a freezer-safe container. Freeze 2-4 hours, or until ice cream reaches scoopable consistency.

Store homemade ice cream in the freezer for up to one month. For a scoopable consistency, allow to stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes prior to serving.