Sun in Seattle = Herb-Infused Lemonade

As the sun starts to make more regular appearances here in Seattle, our thoughts naturally turn to two things: first, our annual attempt to grow an herb garden in our kitchen and second, lemonade. These things might not seem related, but they are. At least when it comes to herb-infused lemonade.

Before you wrinkle your nose at what might seem like unnecessary tinkering with an old classic, let us reassure you. As far as innovation with herbs goes, we are conservative. You see, back in the day, when we used to pastry chef at the Herbfarm, we sort of overdid it on the herbs. They were in everything. Post-Herbfarm, we experienced a backlash that consisted of several years spent confined to tried and true sorts of herb-food combinations. Rosemary and potatoes. Thyme and roasted chicken. Basil and fresh tomato. The basics. This was good for a while, but now it’s time to find a middle ground. We’re ready to bring herbs back--but in a restrained and thoughtful way and only when they really taste good. Herbal lemonade is a baby step in that direction. And it’s delicious.

Making an infused lemonade is really no more difficult than making regular lemonade, all it requires is that you make a simple syrup, put in some herbs, strain them out and then make your lemonade as usual. You can use a variety of herbs, but our favorites are always those that serve to embellish the already present lemon flavor, such as lemon balm, lemon verbena or lemon thyme. When used judiciously, regular thyme and basil are delicious, and when used very judiciously, so is lavender. Really, you should just use whatever herbs you have lying around, or in our case, whichever of your window plants is starting to get particularly sad and leggy. This Sunday, that meant lemon balm with a few strips of Meyer Lemon peel. It was inspired.

If this were Martha Stewart Living, we’d recommend that you make this for your next baby shower or garden party. Since it’s Seattlest, we’ll simply add that herbal lemonade mixes quite well with vodka.