Georgia · 20 min hands-on · 70 min waiting · Vegan · Drink · For beginners
Tarkhuna
In German: Estragonlimonade
For 4 servings · US units
Georgian tarragon lemonade: herby, lemony and ice-cold
Tarkhuna is the tarragon lemonade of Georgian cuisine, and once you've made a batch yourself, it's hard to reach for anything else all summer. Fresh tarragon steeps in a simple sugar syrup, lemon brings brightness, and cold sparkling water turns it into a thirst-quencher with a delicate, faintly aniseedy herbal note. Put a jug of it on the table with plenty of ice, and a hot afternoon suddenly feels a lot more bearable.
Ingredients
- 1¾ ozfresh, washed; leaves with tender stems, keep a few sprigs for garnishA fresh herb with narrow leaves and a distinct anise note, often used by the bunch in Georgian cooking.Substitute: Where tarragon goes in fresh and in quantity, there is no good substitute, since dried tarragon tastes flat and hay-like. Chervil or fennel fronds come closest to the anise note but are milder and less pungent.Read more
- 3½ ozsugarfor the syrup, adjust to taste
- 2Lemonjuiced, a few slices for serving
- 1 cupwaterstill, for the syrup or tarragon extract
- 4¼ cupssparkling waterwell chilled, for topping up
- ice cubesfor serving
Method
- Prepare the tarragonWash the tarragon, pat it dry and pick off the leaves along with the tender stems. Set a few nice sprigs aside for garnish.
- Make the sugar syrupBring the sugar to a boil in a small pan with 100 ml of the still water, stirring until it has completely dissolved.
- Steep the tarragon in syrupTake the pan off the heat, add the tarragon leaves to the hot syrup and let them steep while the syrup cools down to room temperature. If you want a bolder flavour, blitz the tarragon in a blender with the syrup and the rest of the still water instead.
- Cool and strain the extractOnce everything has cooled completely, strain it through a fine sieve or a piece of muslin, pressing the leaves well so as much flavour as possible ends up in the extract. If you let the leaves steep rather than blending them, stir the remaining still water into the strained extract now.
- Add the lemonStir in the freshly squeezed lemon juice and drop a few lemon slices into the tarragon extract.
- Chill and let it infuseCover and chill the extract in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 hours, so the flavours can come together.
- Top up with sparkling waterJust before serving, top up with the well-chilled sparkling water and stir gently so you keep the fizz.
- Serve over iceFill glasses or a jug with ice cubes, pour the tarkhuna over and serve with lemon slices and the tarragon sprigs you set aside.
Tips and variations
You can skip the stove entirely: crush the tarragon with the sugar and pieces of lime in a jug with a muddler until the sugar has dissolved in the lime juice, then top up with the chilled sparkling water and stir well. In the cooked version, lime also works beautifully in place of lemon. For a fruity, spicy twist, add raspberries and ginger to the extract, or top it up with ginger ale. A pinch of salt in the syrup rounds out the sweetness. If you like it more intense, simmer the tarragon in the syrup for 10 minutes and blend it afterwards. Ready-made lemonade can take the place of the sparkling water when you top it up. Still water instead of sparkling turns it into a lemonade without any bubbles at all. My serving tip: make the tarragon extract 1–3 hours ahead and top it up with ice-cold sparkling water right before serving, so it stays nice and lively.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
