Ingredients
Lemons 4-6 (squeeze 1 ½ cups of lemon juice)
Sugar 1 ½ cups
Peel lemon skin with sharp vegetable peeler so there is minimal white pith on the inside of the skin. If you get significant white pith take paring knife and gently scrape away pith. Set aside the lemon peel. In a heavy bottom pot put equal parts, 1 ½ cups lemon juice and 1 ½ cup sugar over medium heat. 10-20 minutes of occasional stirring with silicon or wood utensil the combination will liquify and thicken. Pull off heat when mixture leaves film on back of spoon. Set pot on cold burner or trivet or thick towel and dump in pith-less, lemon peel for 5-7 minutes. At this point it is your taste buds that will indicate doneness! Taste for how strong you like the lemon flavor to be!
The Lemon Drop martini is the impetus for the syrup. A dear friend loves to make Lemon Drop martinis. She makes these infrequently because they are potent but pucker up squinty! But we all need our indulgences! Women’s wellness incudes fabulous cocktails shared with fabulous friends. We like to use quality ingredients so when she could not find lemon syrup anywhere in the stores we searched, I decided to make it. She has a local source of fresh lemons. After showing me her grocery store bag of lemons from this tree I had to buy traditional table or cane sugar. Our local stores have a lot of sugar free lemon syrup but no full sugar version. We visited 3 local stores and even shopped online. We found some online…available to purchase only by the case…of 12 750ml bottles! Storage became the issue preventing us from purchasing that much. Lemon syrup is simple to make. No, it is NOT simple syrup flavored with lemon. You can do that but my friend likes to use quality ingredients. Here is how simple lemon syrup is to make.
Fresh Lemons are best for most recipes
Recipe
The ingredients are lemon juice, sugar and lemon peel. Equal amounts sugar in dry cup and lemon juice in liquid cup. The equipment includes board or mat to work on, vegetable peeler, sharp knife, juicer, measuring cups, heavy bottom sauce pot and spoon for stirring.
Equal parts sugar and lemon juice. If using for just a few martinis ½ cup of each is good. We are going to throw small, socially distanced dinner gathering of less than 10 close friends who all have current vaccinations and COVID tests. I did this recipe with 1 ½ cups sugar and equal amount of squeezed lemon juice. The yield is about 14oz; estimated because I filled it 2/3 way up the neck of 375ml bottle with enough left over for a almost 1/2 of 5oz sipping glass.
Always wash lemons because you use the skin. Dry and place on board or mat. Dry lemons are easier for sharp vegetable peeler to peel the skin WITHOUT much bitter, white pith! The peeler you are using is especially important tool. Not going into too much detail but if you have awfully hard time getting mostly the yellow skin of a lemon there are at least 2 things to do so your syrup is not bitter. 1) if some white pith on a strip of lemon peel, then take paring knife and blade down run, lightly along pith and scrape off. I say lightly because the lemon peel is rather thin. 2) sharpen the vegetable peeler. There are many ways and I’ll just mention a few. Take one vegetable peeler and running pointy tip between the blades of another peeler like you are forcing the blades out. This can also be done with sharpening stick also known as sharpening or honing rod as it has a beveled point on the tip. Do not press or push too hard or you will get a lot of lemon peel and pith with each swipe. Another way to sharpen vegetable peeler if you have a sharpening block. Angle peeler blade so only one side is touching the block surface. Gently run blade along block once or twice. After running both blades along the block try to peel the lemon skin. This may take a few swipes along the block. You can use the pointy end of your sharpening rod just like described with sharpening stone. These sharpening methods are just a few of many to sharpen vegetable peeler. Sharp blades are safer and will allow you to get more of the skin and less of the white pith. This makes a succulent lemon flavor without the bitterness of the white pith. The distinct, deep lemon flavor is all you need to realize this really is a simple syrup to make. My Friends Lemon Drop martinis are absolutely bursting infusion of fresh lemon.
