Prep Time : 10 Minutes | Cook Time : 5 Minutes | Total Time : 30 Minutes | Difficulty : Easy
Hello my lovelies! At this time of year a lot of toasts are made and a lot of drinks are provided. But what if you don’t drink alcohol? I don’t drink anymore apart from the odd mouthful on a very special occasion because it’s not good for my mental health. My body and my brain are not fans. While I make no bones about it there are a lot of people who would rather not drink a lot or at all for reasons they may or may not be comfortable sharing. It’s important to look after those people too. Give them something better than “back up” options. With the crazy heat in NZ at the moment we need all the cold drinks we can get! I’ve been making lemonade the way my mother taught me for years. It has 2 ingredients and takes no time at all. Today we are going to level up using one of my favourite herbs. Tarragon adds a glorious herbal anise flavour that goes wonderfully with lemon. Herbs are woefully underused in sweet foods and drinks and they’re a great way to add a new dimension of flavour. Made up with soda water this is a fabulous drink on it’s own but if you must it is also delicious in gin cocktails.
Juice your lemons. Because we only need a cup I do it by hand using this nifty old-school juicer.
Strain the juice into a small saucepan and add the sugar and tarragon. I use two small sprigs of tarragon from the tips of the stalks.
Over a low heat, stir the syrup until the sugar dissolves. When it’s clear turn the heat up a bit and bring the syrup to a boil. Take the tarragon out.
Let it bubble for about a minute. Remove from the heat and use a funnel to pour the syrup into the clean warm bottle. Let the syrup cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge.
Told you it was easy. Store the syrup in the fridge and use as you need it. You can make it up into drinks with still or sparkling water. A slice of cucumber as a lovely addition and adds an extra flavour note that goes beautifully with the tarragon and lemon.
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Lemon + Tarragon Soda
Prep Time : 15 mins | Cook Time : 5 mins | Total Time : 30 mins | Difficulty : Easy | Makes : approx. 1 + 1/2 cups syrup
Bright zesty homemade lemonade with a hint of herbal tarragon – the perfect thirst quencher.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (240 mls) fresh lemon juice – approx. 6 to 8 lemons
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup (100 to 150 grams) sugar
- 1 to 2 sprigs of fresh tarragon
To serve
- ice and soda water
- sliced cucumber or lemon wedges
– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients –
Equipment:
- Juicing device
- Small saucepan
- Clean 2 cup glass bottle with lid
Directions:
Juice your lemons. Because we only need a cup I do it by hand using this nifty old-school juicer.
Strain the juice into a small saucepan and add the sugar and tarragon. I use two small sprigs of tarragon from the tips of the stalks.
Over a low heat, stir the syrup until the sugar dissolves. When it’s clear turn the heat up a bit and bring the syrup to a boil. Take the tarragon out.
Let it bubble for about a minute. Remove from the heat and use a funnel to pour the syrup into the clean warm bottle. Let the syrup cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge.
Told you it was easy. Store the syrup in the fridge and use as you need it. You can make it up into drinks with still or sparkling water. A slice of cucumber as a lovely addition and adds an extra flavour note that goes beautifully with the tarragon and lemon.
Cook’s Notes:
- Experiment with different herbs in your lemonade. Bay leaf and thyme are also both delicious.
- As soon as the heat causes the herbs to go brown fish them out – their flavour is pretty much extracted by then
– Because the sugar is on the low side and we are not sterilising the bottle keep this syrup in the fridge. It will last for up to a month –
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