Tarkhuna

Ingredients

• 1 bunchtarragonleaves picked, about 15–20 sprigs
• 5¼ ozsugarfor the syrup
• ⅔ cupwaterfor the syrup
• ¼ cuplemon juicefreshly squeezed
• 1 tsplemon zestfrom unwaxed lemons
• 1 tspaniseedfennel seeds as substitute
• 4¼ cupssparkling waterice-cold, for topping up
• ice cubesfor serving
• 1 pinchbaking sodastabilises the green colour (optional)
• 1 pinchsaltlifts the aroma (optional)
• 1limejuice and zest, in addition to the lemon (optional)

Method

1. Wash the tarragon, pat it dry and pick the leaves from the stems; set a few good-looking sprigs aside for garnish.
2. Zest and juice the unwaxed lemon (and the lime, if you're using it).
3. Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.
4. Add the tarragon leaves, aniseed and lemon zest, bring briefly to a boil and let it simmer gently for a few minutes so the flavours move into the syrup.
5. Take the pan off the heat and let the syrup cool completely — it keeps infusing as it goes.
6. Strain the cooled syrup through a fine sieve, pressing the herbs well to get everything out, then chill it.
7. Stir the lemon juice into the cold syrup and taste for how sweet or sharp you want the lemonade to be.
8. Fill glasses or a carafe generously with ice cubes, pour in the syrup mixture and top up with ice-cold sparkling water.
9. Give it a quick stir, garnish with a sprig of tarragon and serve straight away.

Tips and variations

For more flavour, bruise the tarragon in a mortar first, or blitz it with the sugar into a paste instead of simply simmering the leaves. Another approach: blend the hot syrup with ice in a jug blender, let it infuse for at least an hour, and only strain it then. A pinch of baking soda and a pinch of salt support the colour and the aroma, while extra lime juice and zest bring more freshness. Sweetness is yours to judge — roughly five to six tablespoons of syrup per carafe, or about 60 ml per glass. For grown-ups it mixes into a cocktail with gin; either way serve it as cold as you can manage, with plenty of ice and a tarragon sprig in the glass.