Celery Soda
Created by Hardlikearmour on Food52Serves: 4 – 10 • Course: Beverages • Diet: Vegan • Season(s): Summer, Fall, Winter
Ingredients
- 8 large celery stalks
- 1 large lemon
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 8 green cardamom pods
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
Thinly slice the celery to get about 3 cups, packed into a liquid measuring cup. Remove zest from half the lemon, then squeeze the lemon to get 3 tablespoons of juice, Gently crush the peppercorns and cardamom pods.
Bring water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan then add the celery and return to a boil for one minute, stirring as it cooks. Remove the pan from the heat and add the lemon zest, black pepper and cardamom. Stir to combine then cover the pan and set aside to come to room temperature.
When cool, strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or through cheesecloth. Press the celery to extract as much liquid as possible. Stir the 3 tablespoons of lemon juice into the syrup. Discard the pressed celery and transfer the liquid to a lidded container. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
To serve, mix with seltzer to taste (2 ounces syrup to 8 ounces of seltzer) or use the syrup in cocktail recipes with vodka or gin.