Lemon Myrtle Cocktail Recipe
Our friends from Yerrabingin House at South Eveleigh have shared these great cocktail recipes using Lemon Myrtle Syrup! Follow the recipe below, or watch the video here.
Syrups are a great way to get flavour into your cocktails, you can craft them ahead of time, then stick them in the fridge so they are ready for the cocktail hour.
The syrup described in this video is made using Lemon Myrtle, containing five times more citral than citrus fruits, it packs more punch than lemongrass or lemon verbena. The antibacterial, anti-fungal and antimicrobial properties of the leaf will also help the shelf life of the syrup.
To start we will need to make an “Oleo-Saccharum”, this was used as the base for most Punch, back in the day, the days in the 19th century that is. It translates, Oleo-oil or fat, Saccharum-sugar, put together oily sugar and is really easy to make.
Oleo-Saccharum
You will need:
- The skins of5 or 6lemons
- 250g white sugar
Method:
1. Use a potato peeler to remove the skin from the lemons, don’t take the pith as this can be bitter.
2. Place in a bowl or jar & cover with the sugar.
3. Apply pressure, muddle the sugar with a rolling pin or muddle stick, this abrasive motion encourages oil to transfer from skin to sugar.
4. Cover & leave for a few hours or overnight.
The other part to prepare is the Lemon Myrtle Tisane, tisanes—are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water.
Lemon Myrtle Tisane
You will need;
- Bunch of Lemon Myrtle leaf (Backhousia Citrodora) 10-20
- Boiled water 500ml
Method:
1. Give the leaf a quick wash in cold water if freshly picked, alternatively dried leaf should be good to go.
2. Cover the myrtle with water just off the boil, a colder infusion will not lift the oils.
3. Leave to brew for a couple of hours or until water is golden.
Lemon Myrtle Syrup
You will need:
- The Oleo-Saccharum, method above
- The Lemon Myrtle Tisane, method above
Method:
1. Mix both together until all the sugar granules are dissolved.
2. Strain liquid through an oil filter, coffee filter, or fine sieve to remove the leaf & skin.
3. Bottle in a sterile vessel, keep refrigerated.
Lemon Myrtle Daiquiri
The daiquiri is a great way to understand balance in a cocktail, how the sweet (syrup) works with the sour (citrus), to accompany the strong (grog) and the weak (in this case melt from the ice). An Aussie twist on this Cuban classic that’s light & very fresh, why not try infusing the rum for more spin on your twist?
You will need:
- 10-20ml Lemon myrtle syrup
- 30ml fresh squeezed lime juice
- 45ml white rum
Method:
1. Chill cocktail glass before you start by filling with ice.
2. Measure the above ingredients into a cocktail shaker.
3. Add ice and shake.
4. Remove the ice that was chilling the glass & strain cocktail into it.
Thanks to Yerrabingin House and Chris from Toppled for sharing this recipe with us! Find out more about Yerrabingin House here or at the below socials: