Tarragon Lemonade

• Recipe by Amanda Lydon and Gabriel Frasca

Gabriel Frasca and Amanda Lydon offer infused lemonades on the lunch menu at Straight Wharf. Frasca prefers his lemonade at "face-puckering levels"—hold back on the sugar. But this version has a gentle sweetness, like a tarragon-zapped lemon drop. Give it a try with other summer herbs, too, like fresh mint.

Ingredients

1. 10 cups water
2. 2 1/4 cups sugar
3. 17 tarragon sprigs
4. 6 cups fresh lemon juice, strained (from about 40 lemons), plus 12 thin lemon slices for garnish
5. Salt
6. Ice

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine 4 cups of water with the sugar and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer over moderately high heat until reduced to 3 1/4 cups, about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 5 of the tarragon sprigs. Let stand, stirring often, until cooled to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Discard the tarragon sprigs.
2. In a large glass pitcher, combine the remaining 6 cups of water with the tarragon syrup and fresh lemon juice. Add a pinch of salt, stirring until it dissolves. Serve the tarragon lemonade over ice, garnished with the lemon slices and the remaining 12 tarragon sprigs.