Garden Sour with Snap Pea–Herb Cordial

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A zero-proof sour built like a real cocktail: a fresh snap pea, cucumber and garden-herb cordial stands in for the botanical spirit, verjus and lemon supply the acid bite, and a dry-shaken aquafaba cap gives you that dense white collar you only get in a good bar. Grassy, cool and genuinely dry — nothing about it tastes like juice.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary (4 inches)
• 2 strips lemon peel, wide, no white pith
• 1 tsp loose green tea (or 1 green tea bag)
• 5 oz sugar snap peas, strings removed (about 1½ cups)
• 1/2 cup peeled, chopped English cucumber
• 1/3 cup packed fresh spearmint leaves
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

• 4 oz snap pea–herb cordial, chilled
• 2 oz fresh lemon juice, strained
• 1 oz verjus blanc (or 1 oz white grape juice plus 1 tsp extra lemon juice)
• 1 oz aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas), well shaken
• 4 dashes saline solution (1 part fine sea salt dissolved in 4 parts water)
• 2 cups ice cubes, plus 1 large cube for shaking

• 2 sugar snap peas, split lengthwise
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme or small mint tops
• 1/4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, for dotting (optional)
• freshly cracked black pepper (optional)

Instructions

1. Make the herb syrup: combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring just until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Pull the pan off the heat, add the thyme sprigs, rosemary and lemon peel, and steep 8 minutes.
2. Stir in the green tea and steep exactly 3 minutes more — any longer and it turns astringent. Strain the syrup into a bowl or measuring cup, discard the solids, and chill it in the freezer for 10 minutes or an ice bath for 3 minutes until cool to the touch.
3. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and blanch the snap peas for 45 seconds, then drain and plunge them into ice water for 1 minute. This locks in the green color so the cordial doesn't turn khaki. Drain well and pat dry.
4. Combine the cooled syrup, blanched snap peas, cucumber, mint and salt in a blender. Blend on high for 60 seconds, until completely smooth and vivid green.
5. Strain the purée through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a double layer of cheesecloth set over a bowl, pressing and twisting gently to extract the liquid. You should have about 1½ cups of bright, clear-ish cordial. Refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes; it keeps 1 week covered in the fridge.
6. Chill two coupe or small stemmed glasses in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.
7. Dry shake: combine 4 oz chilled cordial, 2 oz lemon juice, 1 oz verjus, 1 oz aquafaba and the saline in a cocktail shaker with one large ice cube. Seal and shake hard for 20 seconds — the single cube whips the aquafaba without over-diluting.
8. Add the remaining 2 cups of ice, seal, and shake hard for another 15 seconds, until the tin is painfully cold and frosted.
9. Double-strain through a fine-mesh sieve into the chilled glasses, pouring in two stages: fill each glass two-thirds, wait 20 seconds for the foam to set, then top off to build a tall, dense white cap.
10. Garnish: lay a split snap pea across the foam, add a thyme sprig, and finish with 2 or 3 drops of olive oil and a whisper of cracked pepper if you want the savory, restaurant-bar edge. Serve immediately.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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