Rhubarb Lemonade
For 8 glasses
For the Rhubarb Syrup
1,2 kg rhubarb, peeled and diced
480 g castor sugar
450 ml water
For the Rhubarb Lemonade
sparkling water
lemon slices
mint leaves
Method
To prepare the rhubarb lemonade first combine the rhubarb, sugar, and water in a large saucepan.
Cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently for 20-25 minutes until the rhubarb is soft and the syrup has slightly thickened.
Strain the syrup through a fine sieve lined with muslin or cheesecloth, sat over a bowl.
Press the rhubarb against the side of the sieve with the back of a spoon to extract as much syrup as possible.
Pour the rhubarb syrup into a jar, seal well, and chill until ready to serve.
To Serve
Pour 50 ml of rhubarb syrup into serving glasses.
Top up with chilled sparkling water, stir briefly, and garnish the rhubarb lemonade with lemon slices and mint leaves before serving.
Summer Drinks
With the weather heating up, we're getting more interested in light and refreshing drinks.
What we like is to start with a cordial or syrup. This is an intense flavoured base from which to begin building your drinks. Think different seasonal fruits that bring colour and flavour; rhubarb, lemons and plums for example.
Once you have a cordial base, this should keep well in the refrigerator for a few weeks. Now get creative. Mix the cordial with water (still or sparkling), ice cubes and then an array of fruit and herbs to garnish. Think of a garnish the complements the main ingredient. Let your imagination run wild.
