Royal chef Darren McGrady, who was Queen Elizabeth II's personal chef for 11 years, shared on his YouTube channel how to make the Queen's secret drink, the Lemon Refresher.
“The Queen and most members of the royal family loved a secret palace drink that could not be bought and had to be prepared in the royal kitchen,” the blogger noted.
Ingredients:
- 500 g sugar;
- zest of two lemons;
- 250 ml lemon juice;
- 1 tsp. tartaric acid;
- 1 tsp. citric acid;
- 1 tsp. Epsom salts (Epsom salts) – optional;
- 1 liter of boiling water.
Preparation:
- Place sugar in a large bowl. Add lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Add tartaric and citric acids. Add Epsom salt if desired. It has a mild laxative effect, so it can be omitted.
- Mix all ingredients thoroughly.
- Pour boiling water over the mixture and stir again until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Let the drink cool, then put it in the refrigerator.
- Before use, the concentrate must be diluted with cold water to taste. Can be served with ice.
According to the chef, if you don't add the Epsom salt, it's just a very refreshing homemade lemon drink.
The cook noted that he prepared this secret drink for the queen and her family members once a month.
“We poured it into empty tonic bottles. The royal family took this lemon drink with them everywhere – to Sandringham, Windsor, Balmoral, Holyrood Palace and even on the royal yacht Britannia,” McGrady said.
He noted that Epsom salts, which are added to the drink, are a natural laxative.
“It smells amazing and tastes even better,” the royal chef assured.
