Barley Water is a traditional British recipe, based on Alexis Soyer's recipe of 1849, for a classic drink made from the liquid left over after boiling pearl barley that's flavoured with lemons and sweetened with sugar. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Barley Water.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from Alexis Soyer's 1849 volume The modern Housewife or Ménagère, a classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
85. BARLEY WATER.—Put half a gallon of water into a clean saucepan, with two ounces of clean (but unwashed) pearl-barley; when boiling, carefully skim it with a tablespoon, and add half the rind of a small lemon, let it boil until the barley is quite tender: sweeten with half an ounce of white sugar, strain it through a fine hair sieve, and use when required. The juice of half a lemon in some cases may also be introduced.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients
2.3l water
60g clean pearl barley (do not wash, but rub in a cloth)
finely-pared zest of 1/2 lemon
15g caster sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
Method:
Pour the water into a large pan and mix in the pearl barley. Bring to a boil and skim the surface with clean with a spoon. Add the lemon zest, bring back to a boil and continue boiling for about 25 minutes, or until the barley is completely tender.
Stir in the sugar to dissolve then take off the heat and add the lemon juice. Pass through a fine-meshed sieve lined with a double layer of muslin. Set aside to cool completely then bottle and store in the refrigerator until needed.
