Shiso Drink (Natural Pink Lemonade!)

5 from 3 votes

Shiso Drink (Natural Pink Lemonade!)

This delicious shiso drink is so thirst-quenching! It’s made with purple shiso (also known as perilla), an Asian herb that when combined with acidic lemon juice makes an all natural, herbal pink lemonade.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Cooling time30

Total Time1

Course: Beverages

Cuisine: Asian

Servings:

Calories: 70kcal

Author: Judy

Ingredients

30-40 red shiso leaves
8 cups water
5 g dried mandarin orange peel (陈皮)
5 g dried licorice root (甘草)
10 g ginger (smashed)
1/3-1/2 cup sugar (or 75-100g rock sugar; can omit for non-sweetened version or use other sweeteners to taste, such as honey or agave syrup)
3-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1-2 lemons)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Wash the shiso leaves clean, and set aside. I usually soak them a couple of times in a bowl of water.
30-40 red shiso leaves
Add the water, mandarin orange peel, licorice root, and ginger to a medium pot. Cover, and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat so you don’t boil off too much of the liquid.
8 cups water, 5 g dried mandarin orange peel, 5 g dried licorice root, 10 g ginger
Add the shiso leaves and sugar (if using). If you prefer to use an alternative sweetener like honey or agave syrup, add it to the drink at the end, once you’re ready to serve. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and simmer for another 7-8 minutes over medium-low heat.
1/3-1/2 cup sugar
Remove from the heat and strain out all the solids, retaining as much liquid as you can. Let cool on the counter. At this stage, the liquid has a dark purple, reddish hue. Right before you’re ready to serve, stir in the lemon juice.
3-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Notes

Here are three ways to serve it:

Serve hot with lemon slices, like a hot tea.
Serve lukewarm or at room temperature. This is my personal preference!
Once the drink is room temperature or cooled, serve with ice for a chilled pink lemonade!

Note: If you don’t have lemon juice, you can also try apple cider vinegar to achieve the same acidic effect. Note that it will change the flavor, and you may want to add more sweetener.

Nutrition