Raspberry Verbena Kitchen Project

Raspberry supplies the familiar fruit flavor, lemon verbena adds a citrus-like aroma, and vinegar gives the finish a rounder sourness than lemon juice alone. The short cooked shrub step creates a more integrated flavor than simply dropping berries into soda. Strain carefully to remove the seeds. This is a fragrant, lightly tart cooler with enough complexity to make the extra preparation worthwhile. It stays caffeine-free when made with pure verbena tea, with no need for a spirit substitute.

Ingredients

• 1 tea bag Food-grade lemon verbena tea
• 4 oz Water
• 2 tbsp Raspberries
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)
• 4 oz Sparkling water, chilled

Make it

1. Brew the verbena tea in the water according to its packet and remove the bag.
2. Simmer the raspberries and sugar in 2 tablespoons of the brewed tea for 3 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and remaining tea, then strain well.
3. Cool briefly and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Top with chilled sparkling water and stir gently.

Benefits

Lemon verbena · caffeine-free with raspberry and vinegar

Choose pure lemon verbena for this raspberry and vinegar cup: its lemon-scented herbal base comes without the caffeine found in black tea.

Raspberry · more than a sweet mixer

With lemon verbena and vinegar in the glass, the measured raspberry contributes a bright raspberry tang as an accent to the fizz.