Recipe for Rhubarb Lemon Balm Syrup and Margarita
I considered sweetening the syrup with something other than white sugar (I was thinking about using either maple syrup or honey), but in the end went with the sugar as I wanted the syrup to stay very pink. I was out of organic sugar (horrors!), but it would probably work out fine with that. Note that you must use a pink variety of rhubarb (some rhubarb has a brown/green hue) for the syrup to end up pink. This should be enough syrup to make about 5 standard margaritas.
Servings: 0 About 2 1/2 cups of syrup + 5 margaritas.
Ingredients
For the syrup:
- *1 pound rhubarb ends trimmed off and cut into chunks (about 5 large stalks)
- *4 cups water
- *1/2 cup sugar
- *Packed handful of fresh lemon balm leaves I've got tons in my herb garden; feel free to use another herb, like mint, if you don't have access to lemon balm
For the margarita:
- *Ice- cubes or crushed
- *Coarse sea salt
- *Rhubarb lemon balm syrup recipe above
- *Tequila
- *Triple sec
- *Fresh lime s, sliced
Instructions
For the syrup:
- 1. Combine rhubarb and water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until rhubarb is very "mushy". Remove from heat and strain out the rhubarb (don't discard: add your favorite natural sweetener and enjoy the rhubarb alone, or use it anywhere you'd use jam or a fruit sauce).
- 2. Return the strained liquid to the pot and add the sugar. Heat to boiling, stirring to make sure the sugar is fully dissolved, then toss in the lemon balm leaves. Turn heat down just slightly and cook for another 7-10 minutes, until the syrup reduces and thickens a bit. Strain out the lemon balm and allow the syrup to cool completely before using in the margarita, or mix with sparkling water for a healthier alternative to soda. Leftover syrup should last for a few weeks in the refrigerator.
For the margarita:
- 1. Pour salt into a shallow dish. Run a lime slice around the rim of your glass, then invert the glass and dip in the salt.
- 2. Fill glass with ice cubes or crushed ice, then pour in some rhubarb syrup (I filled my glass half way with the syrup). Splash in some Tequila and triple sec, then squeeze in some fresh lime (and drop the spent lime slice(s) into the glass). Stir and taste, then add more syrup and/or more alcohol (and/or more lime juice) as to your preference. Garnish with lemon balm or mint leaves, if you like.