Lemon verbena and vanilla cordial
- Published: 16 Apr 21
- Updated: 18 Mar 24
This homemade cordial for grown-ups uses herbs, lemon verbena, lemon juice and edible flowers to create a sophisticated cooler for spring and summer days.
Or, when elderflowers are in season, go foraging and then make this recipe for elderflower cordial.
- Makes about 650ml cordial (14-15 servings)
- Hands-on time 20 min, plus cooling
Ingredients
- 1 vanilla pod
- 250g caster sugar
- 8g dried lemon verbena leaves, plus extra fresh leaves to serve (see tips)
- 350ml lemon juice (juice from 8-10 lemons)
- Lemon slices, edible flowers, ice cubes (see tips) and chilled sparkling water or sparkling wine to serve
You’ll also need
- 700-750ml bottle with a lid, sterilised
Method
- Slit the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Put the pod and seeds in a pan with the sugar and 250ml water, then gently heat to dissolve the sugar.
- Bring to the boil and bubble for 2 minutes, then take off the heat and add the dried verbena leaves. Stir, then steep for 10 minutes. Strain the syrup through a sieve into a clean pan (discard the solids), add the lemon juice and put over a medium heat. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 minute. Pour the syrup into the bottle, cool for about 30 minutes, then seal. (see Make Ahead).
- To serve, put lemon slices, ice cubes (see Expert Touch), edible flowers and verbena leaves in each glass, add 3 tbsp cordial, then top up with sparkling water or sparkling wine.
- Recipe from April 2021 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 73kcals
- Fat
- none
- Protein
- 0.1g
- Carbohydrates
- 18.2g (18.2g sugars)
- Fibre
- trace
- Salt
- trace
delicious. tips
Expert touch: Make decorative ice cubes by freezing edible flowers or tarragon leaves in ice cubes, if you like.
Easy swap: If you can’t find fresh lemon verbena to garnish, use mint.
Unopened bottles will keep for up to 1 month. Once opened, store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Watch our video about how to sterilise bottles and jars.
Buy ingredients online
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