Recipe

Rosemary Lemonade

The back porch in July, in a glass.

Placeholder · Recipe hero Glass pitcher of cloudy lemonade on a porch table, lemon slices and a rosemary sprig floating, a jar of LGT rosemary syrup beside it. Bright midday light, condensation on the glass.

Makes a pitcher, about six glasses. Ten minutes, plus time to chill.

Ingredients

Steps

  1. Juice the lemons. Strain the seeds, leave the pulp if you like it.
  2. In a pitcher, stir the lemon juice and rosemary syrup together until the syrup is fully in.
  3. Add the cold water and stir.
  4. Taste. More syrup if you want it sweeter, more lemon if you want it sharper. It should lean tart.
  5. Chill for an hour if you have the time, or pour over plenty of ice right away.
  6. Finish each glass with a lemon slice and a rosemary sprig slapped against your hand to wake the oils.

Notes

On the balance

Rosemary lemonade wants to stay tart. The syrup carries the rosemary and just enough sweetness. Start with three-quarters of a cup and climb from there, because you cannot walk it back.

Make it sparkling

Swap two of the four cups of water for cold club soda, added at the end so the bubbles hold. Stir once, gently.

Make it a long drink

Two ounces of vodka or gin per glass turns this into something for the late afternoon. The rosemary handles either.

If you do not have rosemary syrup

Plain simple syrup works, but you lose the cooked-down rosemary that makes this taste like the garden in July. Muddle a sprig in if that is all you have.

What else this syrup goes in