紫しそジュース: Shiso Juice

I was walking in the shopping arcade and saw a huge bundle of red shiso leaves for 30yen.

 In a moment of sudden inspiration, I decided to try make shiso juice,

 the lemonade of summer drinks in Japan.

Shiso belongs to the mint family and the juice is kind of like if you 

took watered-down grape juice and added a bit of mint. It's a bit tart and has slightly tannic after taste.

 The health benefits of shiso juice have many similarities with red wine: polyphenols

 (good for blood circulation) and anthocyanin (an antioxidant) 

as well as Vitamin A, Calcium, Vitamin B1 and B2, and Iron.

1. Oooh, purple!   2. Woah, green!

 I'm no chef, but I love cooking. I don't really follow recipes like I should, and just cook by feeling and flavor. If you want to make this juice, try find a real recipe on the internet, or follow my weird instructions!

Ingredients:

1 giant bundle of red shiso leaves

1L water

3 tsp sugar (or honey)

1 Tbsp lime or lemon juice

2 tsp vinegar (I used balsamic, but rice vinegar is fine)

*feel free to add more sugar or vinegar to your own liking!

Method:

1. Remove leaves from stems, thoroughly wash off dirt.

2. Boil 1L of water and turn off heat when water has come to a roiling boil. 

3. Add the washed leaves to the pot. I used about 4 giants handfuls of leaves. Put lid on pot.

4. Wait for a while...5-10minutes...stir leaves a bit.

5. When the leaves turn green, strain the liquid. Use a cheese cloth if you really want to get a deep red color.

6. Dissolve sweetener of choice and add lemon/vinegar to juice.

7. Serve chilled over ice.