AT THE HERBFARM, IN THE LATE SUMMERTIME, we offer a big punch bowl of this iced tea to our early guests. Lemon verbena and anise hyssop infuse a whirlwind of lemon, anise, and mint flavors. If you steep the purple flower heads of the anise hyssop along with the leaves they will tint the tea a lovely rose color.
2 quarts water
1 large bunch anise hyssop sprigs (2 ounces)
1 large bunch lemon verbena sprigs or lemon geranium leaves (2 ounces)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons mild honey
Bring the water to a full boil in a large saucepan. Stir in the herb sprigs, bending the stems first, if necessary. Remove the pan from the heat, cover it, and allow the herbs to steep for 15 minutes. Strain into a large pitcher and stir in the lemon juice and honey. Refrigerate until cold.
anise HYSSOP
This gorgeous perennial, with spires of deep purple flowers, is in fact unrelated to anise or hyssop. Its fragrance is equal parts mint and licorice, and the leaves, especially the very young ones, have a potent sweetness. Be sure to buy the true Agastache foeniculum; there are other ornamental agastaches that have different scents, most leaning toward mint.
STEEP THE LEAVES AND FLOWERS IN HOT LIQUID, such as milk, cream, or simple syrup, to extract the flavor, and then strain them out. Use the infused milk or cream to make custards or ice creams or the syrup for beverages, sorbets, or poaching fruit. The flavor is fabulous with raspberries, apricots, peaches, and nectarines.
SCATTER SMALL ANISE HYSSOP LEAVES or leaf tips in green salads, or any salad with fruit like raspberries or cherries, for little bursts of sweet minty-anise flavor.
CUT THE PLANTS BACK BY HALF after the flowers begin to fade, and you will often see another flush of blossoms in the fall.
ADDING A SPRIG OF ROSEMARY gives this old friend of a cocktail such flair! The oils from the herb and lime zest will release in the fizz of the tonic and lightly scent each sip.
1 lime wedge
One 3-inch sprig rosemary
2 ounces gin
Tonic water
Lightly crush the lime wedge and rosemary in a 10- to 12-ounce glass with a few strokes of a muddler or the end of a wooden spoon. Pour in the gin. Fill the glass with ice and top off with tonic water. Stir to position the lime and rosemary in the middle of the glass.
THIS FLIRTY PUNCH, combining berries, rosé wine, and the scent of rose geranium, is quenching, not too potent, and always up for a summer party.
¼ cup sugar
¾ cup water
12 medium rose geranium leaves
½ cup crème de cassis
1 bottle dry rosé wine, chilled
1 pint ripe strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced, or 1 ½ cups fresh raspberries, or a combination of both
1 lemon, very thinly sliced
4 cups club soda or sparkling water, chilled
First prepare a syrup: Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in the rose geranium leaves, cover, and remove from the heat. Wait at least 10 minutes, then strain the syrup, pressing out all the liquid in the leaves, and chill it in the refrigerator or over ice.
Stir together the syrup, crème de cassis, wine, berries, and lemon in a punch bowl or in a pitcher with a wide opening. Chill for at least 30 minutes to allow the berries to release some of their juice into the wine. The berry flavor will be more intense if you let it chill longer. Stir in the club soda. Ladle the sangría into glasses while it’s still cold.
IT’S THE PERFECT QUENCHER FOR A HOT SUMMER DAY in the herb garden, or to offer as a nonalcoholic option at cocktail hour.
2 tablespoons basil syrup (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons lime juice
Chilled sparkling water or club soda
Pour the syrup and lime juice into the bottom of a 12-ounce tumbler. Fill the glass about two-thirds full with ice. Pour in the sparkling water as you stir with a spoon.
THE PINCH OF BAKING SODA in this recipe might seem odd, but it helps keep the syrup bright green.
1 ½ cups basil leaves
½ cup fine (baker’s) sugar
½ cup water
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
First blanch the basil leaves: Plunge them into a small pot of rapidly boiling water for 10 seconds, then drain and plunge them into a small bowl of ice water. Drain again and gently squeeze the excess water from the leaves.
Puree the blanched basil in a blender with the sugar, water, and baking soda until you have a dark green liquid, about 30 seconds. Pour the syrup through a fine strainer, stirring with the back of a spoon to help push it through. Store the syrup in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator, where it will keep for 2 to 3 days.
FRESH LEMON VERBENA, lemon wedges, and citrus-flavored vodka give a triple hit of lemon to this cocktail. If you’re remembering a cloyingly sweet version of a lemon drop, trust me that this one is different. The drink itself is quite bracing, and the sugared rim of the glass lets the imbiber control the sweetness of each sip.
¼ of a large lemon, cut into 2 wedges
Sugar for the rims of the glasses
2 large sprigs lemon verbena, plus 2 small sprigs or leaves for garnish
3 ounces citrus-flavored vodka
1 ounce orange curaçao or Cointreau
Run one of the lemon wedges around the rims of two martini glasses to moisten them. Spread a generous amount of sugar on a small plate and turn the glasses upside down into it so that the rim is coated with a quarter-inch ring of the crystals. Stand the glasses up and let the sugar dry until it hardens.
Put the lemon wedges and lemon verbena in a cocktail shaker and crush them together with about a dozen determined strokes of a cocktail muddler or the end of a slender rolling pin or wooden spoon. Add the vodka, curaçao, and a large scoop of ice cubes.
Cap and shake vigorously. Strain into the sugared glasses and garnish with the reserved lemon verbena.
MUDDLED SAGE LEAVES ECHO THE HERBACEOUS FLAVORS of gin and the astringency of grapefruit in this elegant cocktail.
6 medium sage leaves
¼ of a large lemon, cut into 2 wedges
2 teaspoons sugar
4 ounces gin
4 ounces fresh grapefruit juice
2 twists of grapefruit peel for garnish
Put the sage leaves, lemon wedges, and sugar in a cocktail shaker and crush them together with about a dozen determined strokes of a cocktail muddler or the end of a slender rolling pin or wooden spoon. Add the gin, grapefruit juice, and a large scoop of ice cubes. Cap and shake vigorously. Strain into 2 martini glasses and garnish with the grapefruit peel twists.
SOUNDS LIKE A FROUFROU COCKTAIL, you say? Maybe, but try it; it’s very refreshing and not overly sweet. A classic mai tai is made with an almond-flavored syrup called orgeat, but this one uses a homemade lavender-ginger syrup in its place.
3 ounces white rum
1 ounce orange curaçao or Cointreau
1 ounce Lavender-Ginger Syrup (recipe follows)
1½ ounces fresh lemon juice
Sparkling water
2 lavender sprigs for garnish
Shake the rum, curaçao, lavender-ginger syrup, and lemon juice with plenty of ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into two 10-ounce tumblers filled with ice and top off with just a splash of sparkling water. Garnish with lavender sprigs.
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons lavender buds, fresh or dried
Bring all the ingredients to a full boil in a small saucepan. Turn off the heat and steep the syrup for at least 15 minutes. Strain.
