Barley Water

A straightforward lemon barley water, though the instructions arrive slightly out of order: the soaking and first straining of the barley happen before anything else, not after.

• Read it backwards firstSoak the cup of barley in cold water for several hours, drain it, then combine with the lemons, rind and sugar and add the boiling water. The final straining is what removes the spent grain and rind from the finished drink.
• Cut sugarLoaf or cube sugar, sold cut from a cone or in lumps. Granulated sugar is the usual substitute, though cubes measure loosely, so weigh rather than scoop if you want consistency.
• Breakfast cupA breakfast cup is larger than a teacup, usually taken as 8 to 10 fluid ounces. Anywhere in that range works here.
• Which barleyPearl barley is what most kitchens have and it gives a clean, faintly starchy liquid. Pot barley, less polished, gives a cloudier and more assertive result; either is fine, but rinse until the water runs clear or the drink will taste dusty.
• The rind is the riskPare the yellow zest off in strips with a peeler and keep the white pith out. Two hours of boiling extracts bitterness from pith very efficiently, and it cannot be corrected afterwards.
• Two hours is a lot of evaporationThree quarts at a genuine boil for two hours will reduce sharply. Keep the pan covered and at a bare simmer, or top up with boiling water toward the end to land near the original volume.
• Add lemon juice late if you want brightnessAs written, the juice boils the whole time and the result tastes cooked rather than fresh. Squeezing two of the lemons into the strained, cooled liquid restores the sharpness without changing the character of the drink.
• Yield and keepingRoughly 2 to 2.5 quarts after reduction and straining, enough for eight to ten glasses. Refrigerate and drink within three days; the barley starch makes it a hospitable medium once it warms up.