This is a super refreshing drink for hot days, which we’ve had plenty of this summer. The only reason I haven’t made this lemon verbena lemonade more is that it’s been too hot to even boil water. It’s also super easy, though you will need to get yourself some lemon verbena leaves. So I thought I’d share the recipe here.
Lemon Verbena Lemonade
I’m always on the lookout for things to make with stuff I grow in the garden, so when I spotted this recipe in De Bijbel van de Peruaanse Keuken (The Bible of the Peruvian Kitchen) bij Katinka Lansink Dodero, I I had to make it. It did help that it’s so easy to make and doesn’t require any fancy ingredients, at least not if you have a lemon verbena bush in your yard.
The Bible of the Peruvian Kitchen
Katinka and I had our cookbook debuts in the same year. She’s sprinted ahead of me and is on her third title at this point, sadly her books are currently only available in Dutch. Her publisher sent me a copy of this Bible and I do think it may be her best work yet. You really get to know the breadth of Peruvian cuisine, which is far more diverse than I had expected. Though any cookbook with a lot of potatoes and seafood will have my heart.
There are other recipes I want to make from Katinka’s Bible, I just haven’t gotten round to them yet. Other recipes I’d like to make from the Bible are all the tirados and ceviches as well as for example the papa a la Huancaína (potatoes with cheese sauce), locro de zapallo (pumpkin stew) and the chupe de viernes (Friday soup) among others. But the lemonade is just a gift that keeps on giving, so let’s focus on that first.
Peruvian Lemon Verbena Lemonade
Equipment
- Fine sieve
- Citrus press
- sterilised 1 litre bottle see notes
Ingredients
- 1 litre - 4 C water
- 1 T dried lemon verbena leaves OR
- 4 twigs fresh lemon verbena leaves leaves only
- 2 T honey see notes
- juice of 3 limes
Instructions
- Bring 1 litre - 4 C of water to the boil and allow the lemon verbena leaves to steep in the water (off the heat) for 15 minutes. I like to put the leaves in a saucepan and tip in the boiling water from my kettle.
- Strain the infusion through a fine sieve. Add 2 T of honey and the juice of 3 limes and stir until the honey has dissolved.
- Pour the infusion into a sterilised bottle (see notes) and leave to cool before placing it in the fridge to chill.
Notes
- I don't sterilise the pitcher I keep the lemonade in because it tends to be finished within a few days anyway.
- I usually double the recipe because my pitcher holds 2 liters.
- You could probably use maple syrup if you want to make this vegan, it will of course give a different flavor to the final lemonade.
- According to the Bible you can also serve this lemonade hot on cold days.
