Muddled mint and fennel syrup make a perfect pair in this fantastically fresh elixir.
- 1 1/2 oz New Deal Vodka
- 3/4 oz lemon juice
- 1 oz fennel syrup (recipe below)
- 9 mint leaves (8 for the drink, 1 for garnish)
- soda water
- 1 mint leaf and 1 fennel frond for garnish
Lightly muddle 8 mint leaves in fennel syrup— just a quick press or two. Add vodka and lemon juice and shake with ice. Double strain into a collins glass, then add soda water and fill with fresh ice. Garnish with remaining mint leaf and a fennel frond.
Fennel Syrup:
- 2 cups fennel, coarsely chopped bulbs and tops (avoid fronds)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups hot water, just off the boil
In a medium sized bowl, combine sugar and hot water and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add fennel and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain the fennel out of the syrup. The fronds are quite fine and won’t strain out completely. Refrigerate syrup. It will keep for 30 days.
