This is ideal as a summer refresher, but tastes great any time of year. I love combining lemon and thyme in savory dishes, and they taste great together in this sweet drink, too. Lemon thyme, which has a light citrus note, is available in specialty stores and is easy to grow in your garden. I prefer using brands of citrus vodka that have clean flavors, like Skyy and Grey Goose Le Citron. Other times, I leave the vodka out altogether—definitely when I’m serving this to kids!
Ingredients
Makes 1 drink
Lemon-Thyme Syrup
Step 1
Run 1 lemon wedge over the rim of a highball glass; dip the rim into sugar. Reserve the lemon wedge.
Step 2
Put the remaining 2 lemon wedges in a cocktail shaker along with the syrup and vodka. Muddle hard, breaking the lemon skins to release their oils. Cover and shake.
Step 3
Carefully fill the rimmed glass with ice. Pour the syrup mixture into the glass, lemon wedges and all. Top off with the club soda, then squeeze the reserved lemon wedge over before dropping it into the glass. Garnish with the thyme sprig and serve immediately.
Lemon-Thyme Syrup
Step 4
In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup water and the sugar to boiling, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the thyme, remove from the heat, and let stand until cool. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
