I love fizzy drinks, even if it’s just sparkling water. I think it’s so nice, how when you order a coffee in Europe, they’ll always (okay, not always, but usually) serve it alongside some sparkling water. Sparkling water has the added punch of fizzy little bubbles and bubbles are just so cheerful. Even better than sparkling water though, is sparkling water with flavoured homemade syrup. One of my favourites is a super herbal and refreshing mint-lemongrass simple syrup.
Essentially, simple syrup is a one-to-one ratio of two things: sugar and water. It’s simple in both preparation and ingredient list – simply stir sugar into hot water until the sugar is dissolved. It’s mainly used in cocktails or iced coffee, where it’s handy to already have the sugar dissolved. To flavour simple syrups, you can go two ways: you can infuse flavour while heating the syrup, or you can steep while the syrup is cooling down.
I did a one-two punch with this lemongrass mint syrup. The lemongrass (which holds up extremely well to heat) was added to the pot while the sugar and water were brought to a boil and then the mint (which is quite delicate) was added in after the syrup was taken off the heat. The result? A slightly spicy, herbaceous, refreshing syrup. You can add it to iced tea, sparkling water or even plain water if bubbles aren’t your thing. In the words of Martha: it’s a good thing.
I collaborated with West Elm on this post: check out the recipe and links to the items I used on their blog, Front & Main. I am seriously in love with the quilted acrylic glasses!
i am bubbly, i am refreshing: i am lemongrass mint lime spritzer!
Lemongrass Mint Lime Spritzer Recipe
makes about 2 cups lemongrass mint syrup
- 2 stalks of lemongrass
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
- sparkling water
- lime slices and mint to garnish
Trim the tops and bottoms off of the lemongrass and remove the tough outer leaves until you reach the pale interior. Chop into 2 inch pieces and bruise the pieces using a rolling pin or whatever heavy blunt object you have handy. Add the water, sugar and lemongrass to a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat then remove from the heat. Add the mint leaves and let steep for 15 minutes. Strain out the mint and lemongrass. Cool and store in a airtight jar until needed. To make the spritzer, place some ice in a glass and add a tablespoon or two of syrup, or to taste. Top with sparkling water, lime slices and mint leaves to garnish. Of course, if you’d like to indulge a bit, feel free to top this off with a splash (or two) of gin and reduce the sparkling water.
PS – If you’re still thirsty, you can peruse these drinks, or check out these two awesome blogs: Death to Sour Mix and Bit By a Fox!
I absolutely love lemongrass anything! This looks so refreshing–can’t wait to try it!
yes, super refreshing! hope you get a chance to try it laura!
STEPH i love the idea of infusing simple syrup this way! i, too, love myself a delightfully fizzy beverage! bubbles make everything better and this recipe sounds so summery refreshing! xo
summertime in vancouver, bubbly drinks…you, me, a couple of cakes…i see this in our future!! :D
Great combination for a refreshing drink :)
thanks farah!!
A thirsty non-drinker thanks you,
:D
I’m dreaming of this but with peach syrup…. yum!! Look so great!
xx Becky
ooh, peach, mint and lime would be awesome!
I’ve been obsessed with adding sparkling water to everything lately. These drinks are totally calling my name!! Beautiful pics, too. So crisp!!
thanks tessa!! yes to sparkling errthang!
Yum! I am on a lemongrass chicken bender at the moment. I’m seriously addicted! Now this :D
ooh lemongrass chicken with a lemongrass spritzer = heaven!
I’m so excited to try this! I just bought a bunch of lemongrass and mint from the Asian grocey store near me. $2 for a huge package of mint and 4 lemongrass stalks, yes please! Plus, you can regrow lemongrass! Ok, I must calm down. Will definitely be making this over the weekend. Thanks for the recipe!
yay to lemongrass! thanks for giving it a go! :)
This looks so refreshing!! I love the idea of making my own syrup and then adding it to taste – sometimes drinks like this at restaurants can be so overly sweet. Oh and I might be tempted to add a little drop of vodka to it too :)
that’s the best part about making drinks at home…you can add as much or as little as you like (including the vodka!) ;)