Barley Lemon Water Mocktail Recipe
Barley water with lemon — cloudy, faintly nutty and softer on the tongue than lemonade.
- Category: Mocktail
- Glass: Highball glass
- ABV: 0%
- Difficulty: Medium
- Prep time: ~3 min
- Alcohol-free: ✓
Ingredients
- Barley water160 ml (5.4 oz)
- Fresh lemon juice30 ml (1 oz)
- Simple syrup20 ml (0.7 oz)
How to Make It
- Simmer pearl barley in water for thirty minutes, then strain and chill the liquid.
- Fill a highball glass with ice.
- Add the barley water, lemon juice and syrup, then stir.
- Garnish with a lemon wheel.
Garnish
Lemon wheel
What it tastes like
It smells of lemon and lime peel and it drinks cool and easy.
The technique
Built in the glass. Ice goes into the serving glass, the ingredients go on top, and you stir once if at all. Anything carbonated goes in LAST and never gets stirred; every turn of the spoon costs you bubbles. Fill the glass to the rim with ice: less ice melts faster, not slower.
Glass and ice
A tall, narrow highball. The narrowness does real work — less surface area means the carbonation lasts longer and the ice melts more slowly.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Fresh lemon juice
- Freshly squeezed lemon; one lemon gives 30-40 ml. It can swap with lime, but lemon is softer and less aromatic, so use a touch more.
- Simple syrup
- One part sugar to one part water, stirred until it dissolves — no need to boil it. Keeps a month in the fridge. No syrup? Use the same amount of honey, loosened with a little water.
The Story
Served at Wimbledon since 1935 and drunk in British households long before that; the barley is what makes it cloudy.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Barley Lemon Water mixed?
- It is built in the glass and served in a highball glass.
- Does a Barley Lemon Water contain alcohol?
- No. It is safe to serve to children, to anyone pregnant, and to whoever is driving.
- Is a Barley Lemon Water hard to make?
- Moderate. A shaker or mixing glass plus a strainer covers it.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.