This recipe is as easy as falling off a log. Only
instead of falling on to the cold hard ground, you fall into an ocean of zesty,
sweet lemon syrup. The method for this recipe is: measure the ingredients, stir
the ingredients, enjoy the deliciousness.
So why has a recipe so simple and yummy fallen out of
favour?
I think the answer might lie in the changing attitudes
towards the ‘processed’ ingredients in this recipe such as lemon essence and
citric acid. In the 1860s, these ingredients had just been invented, and as
well as being novel they served a real purpose. People without a lemon tree
could suddenly use lemon in their cooking. Lemon essence – literally the
essence of lemon – could be transported via ship to even the remotest corners
of the empire, such as the Australian colonies.
We tend to deride the global food system these days.
Though it certainly has its faults, we forget its benefits. We no longer starve
en masse if our crops fail (which they still do, regularly) because the slack
is taken up by imports from overseas. Imported ingredients have also made
possible the incredible richness of food these days, by making ingredients
native to disparate parts of the world available for the home cook.
This is a large part of what makes primary historical
sources like this so interesting – they bust some of the idealised myths that
have built up around past eras. 150 years ago, people were using processed
ingredients and they were loving it.
So how is this recipe useful for the modern home cook?
It contains no lemons, so you can make this syrup without access to the
formerly ubiquitous back yard lemon tree. You also don’t have to purchase any
of the rather flavourless and exorbitantly priced lemons that haunt Australian
supermarkets for most of the year. This is also a very economical recipe – the
two ingredients (citric acid and lemon essence) can be bought for less than $5
at the supermarket.
Here is the original, from 1865:
To
four ounces of citric acid add three pints of water, ten drops of essence of
lemon, one ounce of spirits of wine, seven and a-half pounds of white sugar.
Dissolve the citric acid and sugar with a gentle heat, and, if possible, in an
enameled pan. When cold add the essence, previously dissolved in the spirits
of wine, and shake well together.
Lemon Syrup. (1865,
December 23). The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), p. 9.
Modern Lemon Syrup
(No Lemons Required)
Ingredients
30g citric acid
850g sugar
425ml water
¼ t lemon essence
2 t wine
Jars for storing, if you intend to store it, and you
think you can protect this delicious, delicious syrup from you friends and
family.
Cooking Time
About an hour, because you need to let the syrup cool.
But you don’t need to be standing there watching it while it cools. You could
be off doing something cool like planting heirloom vegetables or collecting all
the stones of Berenziah on Skyrim.
Yield
One bottle for you, one bottle for a close personal
friend who shares your love of lemony goodness.
Method
Put the citric acid and sugar in a non-reactive pan.
(Note: non-reactive refers to something that will not be stained by, or leach
into, food with an acidic ingredient).
Add the water to the pan.
Put the pan onto the stove on low heat – you do not
want it to boil as this will put you on the path to making toffee. You just
want to syrup to be gently heated while you stir it to help the sugar dissolve.
Soon before it is done, the syrup will become cloudy
and you will no longer be able to see if there is still undissolved sugar. Time
to use your other senses. Keep stirring until you can’t feel any more sugar
granules with the bottom of the spoon, and you can’t hear a scraping sound of
the sugar being pushed around the pan as you stir.
Once the sugar is dissolved, take the syrup off the
stove. Allow it to cool.
While the syrup is cooling, you now have a bit of time
to get the other ingredients ready, and to sterilise your jars (if you intend
to keep it for a while – if you don’t think it will last that long, then any
container will do).
You can sterilise glass jars in the microwave, the
oven, or a pot of water. I find it easiest to use the microwave method, which
you can read about here.
Mix the lemon essence and wine together in a separate
container. The wine is there to help the lemon essence mix into the syrup
rather than just sitting on the top. (Note: the wine will only make the syrup
about as alcoholic as a cough lolly, and you will be further diluting it when
you serve it).
When the syrup is cool, add the lemon essence and wine
mixture. Stir well.
Store the syrup in jars or bottles that you have
sterilised.
You can use your delicious new friend in a number of
ways, including cocktails, mocktails, baking, and iced tea. You can also use it
as cordial – just add some ice cold water and you’re set.
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