Dish-Dash-Dosh

Juniper and Tonic

A refreshing non-alcoholic alternative to a G&T, made with a juniper-led spice syrup mixed with sparkling water. Perfect for summer afternoons.

drinks vegan

Juniper and Tonic

  • Time: 15 minutes (Prep 5 mins | Cook 10 mins)
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Serves: 4

Source: Spicery: Seasonal Blends

A fragrant syrup built on juniper, green cardamom, coriander and bitter orange peel, with rosemary, lavender, rose and lemon verbena for aromatics, plus cinchona and gentian root for that classic tonic bitterness. Mix with sparkling water, soda water or lemonade for a wonderfully refreshing summer drink.

Ingredients

  • 1 lemon, zested then halved for juicing
  • 50g sugar
  • 1 litre sparkling water or soda water or lemonade
  • ice cubes, to serve
  • extra slices of lemon and/or cucumber, to serve (optional)
  • 1 portion of J & T Blend (3 tbsp)

☘ Tip

No J & T Blend? Substitute with 5 tsp juniper berries, 1 tsp green cardamom seeds and 1 cinnamon quill from the storecupboard.

Method

  1. Crush the J & T Blend slightly with a rolling pin or heavy pan to release the flavour from the juniper berries and cardamom seeds.
  2. Put the lemon1 lemon, zested then halved for juicing juice and zest into a pan with the sugar50g sugar, 200 ml water and the J & T Blend. Cover and boil gently for 5 minutes, or until the sugar50g sugar has completely dissolved.
  3. Strain the mixture into a jug, discarding the spices, and leave to cool.
  4. Mix the syrup with the sparkling water at a ratio of 1:5 (1 part syrup to 5 parts sparkling water).
  5. Serve in glasses with plenty of ice and an extra slice of lemon1 lemon, zested then halved for juicing or cucumber, if using.

Tips and Notes

☘ Tip

If you’re making a bigger batch, scale up the fresh ingredients in proportion but only scale the spices by two-thirds, or the syrup will be overpowering.