Fresh Lemongrass Syrup

Store in a sealed glass bottle in the refrigerator for up to one month. Keep refrigerated.

Bruise the lemongrass stalks firmly with the back of a knife or a rolling pin before slicing — this ruptures the cells and releases dramatically more of the aromatic oils than simply slicing the stalk. Use only the bottom two-thirds of the stalk where flavor is concentrated; the tough upper portion and the outer layers should be removed and discarded. Simmer gently rather than boiling; high heat volatilizes and drives off the delicate citral aromatics quickly. The finished syrup should smell strongly of fresh lemon with a slight floral undertone — if the lemongrass aroma is muted, the stalks were not sufficiently bruised.

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is native to South and Southeast Asia, where it has been used in cooking and medicine for thousands of years — it is a foundational aromatic in Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian, and Indonesian cuisines. The distinctive citrus-floral character of lemongrass comes primarily from the compound citral, which is also found in lemon peel but combined in lemongrass with geraniol and other aromatics that give it a distinct, cleaner citrus quality. Lemongrass entered the American cocktail world through the rise of Southeast Asian restaurants in the 1990s and the broader Asian-influenced cocktail trend of the 2000s. Lemongrass syrup became particularly popular at pan-Asian cocktail bars as a base for lemongrass margaritas and as a modifier in gin cocktails, valued for its ability to add tropical citrus fragrance without the acidity of fresh citrus.

A lemongrass-ginger syrup, made by adding one tablespoon of fresh ginger slices during simmering, creates a sharp, warming Southeast Asian-inspired cocktail modifier excellent in rum and tequila drinks. A lemongrass-kaffir lime syrup using two kaffir lime leaves added during steeping creates a more complex, floral citrus profile used in Thai-inspired cocktails. For a lemongrass-coconut syrup suited to tropical drinks, substitute coconut water for half the water in the recipe.

No common top-eight allergens. Naturally vegan and gluten-free. Lemongrass allergies are very rare. Lemongrass contains citral, which can cause skin sensitization with repeated topical use, though this is irrelevant to the small amounts consumed in cocktails.