Lemon Barley Cordial

Lemon Barley Cordial

It's cold outside, the sky is grey and the streets are black from the rain. I love this time of year. OK so it's not as cold as Canada and not as romantic as London but Melbourne has its own winter charm. Unfortunately with the cooler weather comes colds and flu.

So here is the ultimate cold weather vitamin C boost for all those ill or just in need off a little TLC.

Gather your ingredients

1/2 cup barley

500ml water

300ml Lemon juice - about 6 lemons

The zest of one lemon - no pith please

250g/1cup caster sugar

Start Making

Pop the barley and lemon zest in a l litre pot with some water. Bring to the boil for 2 minutes, drain the barley and lemon zest then return to the pot and add the fresh 500ml water. Bring to the boil then simmer covered for about 45 minutes.

Drain the Barley mixture keep the water! Add the lemon juice and sugar to the barley water. Place over heat and stir until sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil for 2 minutes.

Pour into warm sterile bottle - I use a 750ml Passata bottle.

Serve

Dilute with hot or cold water. It's quite strong so a little goes a long way.

If the cold is bad or you just need a little extra TLC add a dram of whisky!