Wood Sorrel Gimlet (and Simple Syrup!)
A traditional gimlet is made with gin, lime, and simple syrup. This version uses wood sorrel, a common garden weed, and kombucha. Learn how to identify wood sorrel and make a flavoured simple syrup below!
Our garden - the wood sorrel is mostly concentrated in the back spinach bed and in the bean row, which you can see in the bottom right of this photo.
A closeup of fresh wood sorrel. Note the heart-shaped leaves!
Gathering Wood Sorrel
Before we can forage for a wild edible, we have to identify it. Wood sorrel looks like a clover, but is actually an entirely separate genus called Oxalis. This genus name is important because wood sorrel, like sweet potato, spinach, peanuts, and kale, contains oxalic acid, which can be dangerous in large doses if you’re not accustomed to it. The quanitities in this recipe are small, and shouldn’t be an issue unless you have a pre-existing medical contition and your doctor has put you on a low-oxalate diet, but it’s important to know the risks before foraging.
Wood sorrel is a great plant for a foraging beginner because you may not even have to leave your yard. Sections of our garden and yard are overrun with the stuff, with plants up to 12 cm high!
I was able to find a section of grass that had the two plants side by side, so you can really see the differences! Wood sorrel is larger, generally lighter green, and has 3 smooth, heart-shaped leaves, unlike clovers, which have rounded leaves.
If you break off a leaf and taste one, you’ll get a refreshing hit of citrus-y sweetness. Personally, I think they taste most like articifical green-apple flavour; think jelly beans or the candies the waiter brings out with the check at restaurants. A wood sorrel hard candy would actually be amazing, I’ll have to try that later.
Once you’ve identified your wood sorrel, just pull it up like any other weed! If you can’t find any, ask around - if you have a friend with a garden or a large lawn, and you offer to weed for them, I can guarantee they’ll thank you kindly - and you’ll get a free harvest too! Well worth it.
Making Simple Syrup
Once you’ve acquired your wood sorrel, set the biggest, nicest leaves aside for muddling/other cooking projects. Making simple syrup from the rest couldn’t be, well, simpler! The ingredient ratios are as follows:
1 cup wood sorrel leaves and stems
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
Sorrel, water, and sugar go into a saucepan over low heat. Simmer, stirring regularly, until the sorrel has lost most of it’s colour and you can drag a spoon across the bottom of the saucepan and see the bottom of the pan. It’s important to stop before the syrup gets too thick, or it won’t dissolve well in your drinks. Somewhere between 10 and 15 minutes should suffice.
So: the garden’s free of weeds, you’ve got a fun new simple syrup in the fridge, and cocktail hour is fast approaching. Ready to make a gimlet yet?
Gimlet Recipe*
Ingredients
1/2 cup wood sorrel leaves
2 ounces of gin (we love Collective Arts!)
1/2 ounce wood sorrel simple syrup
1/2 ounce lemon juice
Lemon Ginger kombucha (Sour Cherry Cedar and Spruce Tip Lemon Verbena also work!)
ice
Instructions
Add wood sorrel and gin to a large glass, reserving a few leaves to garnish with. Muddle the wood sorrel well, then strain into your cocktail glass.
Add simple syrup and lemon juice. Stir well.
Top with kombucha and ice!
This is the Wood Sorrel Gimlet with Lemon Ginger Kombucha.
The same drink with Sour Cherry Cedar! What a lovely pale pink.
*This recipe is heavily adapted from Gather Victoria’s Wood Sorrel Gimlet-ish. Check out her post for more info on wood sorrel, plus other wild foods and creative recipes!