The Garden in a Glass

Thyme, lemon verbena, oregano, rose geranium, mint, basil, and even the laurel leaves, accentuated with lemon peels, become lovely, aromatic liqueurs and syrups with little effort and patience.

Early June thyme sprigs from the wild shrubs that grow in our garden are a lovely combination. Later in the summer when the flowers mature, their aroma becomes far too strong, I find.

Few gifts are as welcomed as homemade liqueurs and syrups. And they are so incredibly easy to make, unlike marmalades and jams that often need hours of chopping and cooking.

For the liqueurs a few thin lemon peels together with some early summer thyme blossoms , or either oregano sprigs or fresh mint are left to macerate together in vodka for three to six weeks —depending on the herbs you use and your personal taste. Then the very fragrant alcohol is drained, and you can add to it as much simple syrup as you like to make the liqueur strong or mild.

I like to keep the peels and herbs in the sieve and pour the hot syrup over them in a separate jar. I let it cool completely before adding to the aromatic alcohol as much as I want to make the liqueur pleasant and not overpowering.

Start by adding less, cooling the mixture in the fridge for several hours before you taste it and see if it has the flavor and kick you like. It is easier to add more syrup if you find the mixture strong, than make a new batch of aromatic vodka if accidentally you diluted it with lots of syrup…

Mediterranean thyme blossoming late in June is far too strong to use in liqueurs, in my opinion. I dry it to use in cooking and grilling.

The French consider thyme tisane an excellent cure for hangover. But a recipe for thyme liqueur I got from an old Provencal cookbook suggested two cups of late summer thyme blossoms and sprigs for three cups of eaux de vie (grappa or vodka) which in just a month resulted in an undrinkable dark, bitter potion.

Maybe the thyme of Provence is milder than ours, and I am sure thyme grown further north will be even milder, so start with a handful and add more if you need stronger flavor and aroma.

Syrups and Sherbets

Besides liqueurs, syrups are also wonderful, non-alcoholic aromatic concoctions that you can make with garden herbs. Mint Oxymel is a vinegar syrup, or shrub with ancient roots that I introduced in my old book Mediterranean Pantry (1994).

Ancient Greeks called the drink oxymeli (vinegar-honey) and as the word implies it was a sweet and acid drink considered very refreshing. The tradition continues to this day but usually sugar is used instead of the honey. In the Muslim countries where alcohol is prohibited, drinks like this were very popular, and of course today they are again sought-after as many people want to drink less alcohol.

In an 1862 Turkish Cookery Book compiled by Turabi Efendi, I found a vinegar-sugar syrup scented with sweet marjoram. The syrup was entitled oxymel in the table of contents, keeping the ancient Greek word for the drink.

Starting from the recipe in the old book I experimented with different quantities of sugar/honey and vinegar, using marjoram, mint and rose geranium as flavorings. Mint is the oxymel I prefer, but you can try other aromatics too.

Photo by Martin Brigdale from my Mediterranean Pantry.

Mint Oxymel (vinegar syrup or shrub)

Makes 1 cup

4 cups water

1 cup sugar

1 cup distilled vinegar

15-20 fresh mint sprigs

Simmer the water and sugar for 10 minutes then add the vinegar and continue simmering for another 10 minutes. Add the mint to the pan and as it starts to boil, remove from the heat and let cool completely, before passing through a fine sieve. Store in the fridge.

To serve add 2-3 tablespoons to a glass, and top with very cold water and ice cubes. Decorate with fresh mint sprigs.

A fragrant, lemon verbena syrup, is another pantry staple of ours. We love to douse cakes with it, or use it in cocktails and sorbets. It also accentuates the flavor of any fruit salad, especially one that has peaches and apricots, which, unfortunately, are not as fragrant as I remember them…

I find that rose geranium besides quince preserves, pairs beautifully with the sorbet I make using our local, densely flavored pomegranate juice.

And of course we always have at hand our lemon liqueur. Sometimes, when we are lucky we get a few bergamots, so that the lemon peels are enriched with some —not many— bergamot peels to make the liqueur even more fragrant.

Keep in mind, also, that our hardy garden herbs, besides flavoring our drinks and dishes, invite the butterflies, which are such a delight these days…