Lemony Fresh Herb Coolers
Why I Love This Recipe
Ingredients You'll Need
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups (packed) basil leaves and small sprigs
1 cup (packed) cilantro leaves and small sprigs
1 cup (packed) mint leaves and small sprigs
2 tablespoons tarragon leaves
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Cold club soda
Lemon twists and mint sprigs, for garnish
Directions
In a medium saucepan, combine the water and sugar and bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves.
Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer for 5 minutes; let the sugar syrup cool.
In a blender or food processor, combine the sugar syrup with the basil, cilantro, mint, tarragon, lemon zest and lemon juice and puree.
Let stand for 1 hour, then strain through a coarse sieve, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible.
For each drink, pour 1/4 cup of the fresh herb syrup over cracked ice and fill with club soda. Garnish the drinks with a lemon twist and mint sprigs and serve.
