Lemon Balm Lemonade

Lemon balm lemonade is a tasty way to add some healing herbs to your life. It is super quick to make and is so delicious all on its own or add a splash of vodka to really get the party started!

Why add herbs to lemonade, you might ask. Well, #1 it’s delicious and #2 lemon balm is a really helpful little herb. It is a cooling and relaxing herb. That means it will chill you out both physically and emotionally. Lemon balm or, Melissa officinalis, is diaphoretic which means it helps disperse heat from your core to your periphery so your body can let it go. Emotionally, lemon balm helps relieve stress and tension and just helps you feel a little sunnier. So, if you are feeling a little depressed, stressed, or overwhelmed, drink some lemon balm lemonade and everything will be all right!

Here are your step-by-step instructions on making this delicious drink. 

The first thing you need to do is make lemon balm tea. I like to make tea in a quart canning jar. I just put about an inch of dried herbs in the bottom of the jar then fill the jar with boiling water. I like to let my herbal teas steep for at least 10-15 minutes to extract a lot of the medicinal parts of the plant. The longer the herbs steep, the more medicinal the tea (or infusion if you want to get technical as there is technically no Camellia sinensis which is the botanical name for tea). 

While the herbs are infusing in the water, I make the simple syrup. Simple syrup is, well, simple to make, thus the name. It is just a combination of sugar and water, but because of science, it’s better to dissolve the sugar in hot water. Sugar will also melt when you boil it without water which is how caramel is made, so I feel like boiling the sugar in the water gives it more of a caramel-y flavor. This may or may not be true, but I’m sticking to it. 

You would usually make simple syrup with a 1:1 ratio or, 1 part sugar to 1 part water, but this can be tweaked depending on preference. If you want it sweeter and thicker, add more sugar. For this recipe, I use 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar.  Boil the water and sugar for a few minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved and then allow the syrup to cool completely. You can also sweeten this lemonade with honey which is super delicious!

Next, I juice the lemons. To do this, I find it best to roll the lemon on the countertop for a few seconds to loosen everything up. Really mash it down with your hand. This allows the juice to start releasing. Then I use a simple citrus juicer.

Mashing the lemon

Citrus Juicer

You will need about 3/4 of a cup of juice or the juice from 3 lemons. If you like your lemonade stronger or to have more tartness, add more juice.

Once the juice and syrup are ready, it’s time to filter the lemon balm tea. Be super careful if the tea is still hot. Pour the tea through a fine mesh filter, sieve, coffee filter, or cheese cloth and allow to cool completely.

Now that you have made and filtered your tea, made your simple syrup, and juiced your lemons, it’s time to put them all together. Mix everything together in a pitcher and refrigerate. This lemon balm lemonade will last a few days in the fridge. You can purchase all of the herbs you need for this recipe in my online herb shop here.