Lemon Barley Water

Lemon Barley Water was, evidently, a commercially packaged barley water, perhaps short-lived. Mentioned in the Cafe Royal Cocktail Book (1937), where it’s called out (p. 117) as the product of an L. B. W. Ltd. Fundamentally, barley water is the cooking water used to boil barley. In practice, the barley water is flavored with lemon (or another fruit). To make lemon barley water, wash pearl barley well, boil the barley (cooking takes 45 minutes or so), strain out the barley itself (retain for another purpose) and pour the cooking water over lemon peels. Add lemon juice and sugar to taste. The process can be adapted for other fruit flavoring. For syrup, use more sugar and lemon juice. To dilute, add more water.