LEMONADE
Zest and juice of 5 lemons
12 lemon verbena leaves
1 sprig rosemary
150g/¾ cup caster/superfine sugar
TO SERVE
1 bottle sparkling water
Lemon verbena leaves
Ice cubes
On a hot summer’s day in 1900, Mrs Appleyard’s students piled into a trap and journeyed to Hanging Rock for a picnic. There is a strange atmosphere on the day; their watches stop at midday, they fall asleep in the long brown grass, and when they return to school, hours late, three students and a teacher have gone missing. But before all of that, when they’re just a group a schoolgirls heading out on a picnic, there is lemonade in a zinc-lined basket that sits between them in the pony trap.
Serves at least 8
1. Put the lemon zest, juice, herbs, and sugar into a saucepan. Bring to a slow simmer and reduce until thickened and slightly viscous.
2. Cool in the pan, then strain into a bottle. Dilute 1 part syrup to 5 parts fizzy water to make the lemonade. Serve with extra lemon verbena leaves and plenty of ice.