I had lemon verbena in the fridge whose flavors I love in cocktails, and wanted to create an interesting one for some dear friends who are visiting from London and who are foodies in the same way that L. and I are. This was, as one of our friends happily exclaimed on cocktail number two "an exceedingly drinkable cocktail" so don't discount the slightly weird list of ingredients before trying it for yourself - these all come together beautifully into something that is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
This recipe makes one cocktail so multiply accordingly
1 part verbena simple syrup (recipe below)
1 part chilled strong green tea
1 1/2 parts Bourbon
1 part fresh lemon juice
Hard cider ( I used a sparkling rose one) to top up the cocktail
Ice
Make the verbena simple syrup by putting 1 bunch of lemon verbena in a saucepan with 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of waterr. Bring this to a boil, pressing down on the lemon verbena to immerse it in the liquid and, once the liquid has boiled, remove the pan from the heat. Allow the mixture to steep for at least 30 minutes. Strain it through a coffee filter, discard the herbs, and decant the syrup into a different container before placing in the fridge to cool. This can be made several days in advance.
Place the first 4 ingredients in an ice filled shaker and shake to chill and combine before pouring into an ice cube filled tall glass. Top up with hard cider. This would be much prettier garnished with a sprig of lemon verbena and a slice of lemon but I was too excited to see my friends to bother to take the time away from them to insert garnishes...
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