Cool Off

“Fruit- and herb-infused lemonades are delightful beach beverages. Lemon Verbena is one of my favorites,” she says.

Lemon Verbena Lemonade

Bring 1¼ cups sugar and 1¼ cups water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat, and add ¼ cup lemon verbena leaves. Cover and steep 15 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, and let cool completely. Combine 5 cups fresh lemon juice, strained, and lemon verbena syrup in a pitcher. Fill glasses with Lemon Verbena Ice Cubes (see below), and divide lemonade among glasses, or cover and chill up to 3 days. Makes 7 cups. Lemon Verbena Ice Cubes: Fill 2 ice-cube trays halfway with water, and freeze. Top each cube with a lemon verbena leaf, cover with water, and freeze up to 1 week.

From Martha Stewart Living, June 2008