Healthy Red Shiso Leaf Juice

This is the red shiso sold in the umeboshi (pickled plum) making section of the supermarket. One bag contains 320 to 340 g. If you remove the stems, you'll have about 300 g of leaves. Only the leaves will be used. Wash well, and pat dry. Juice the lemon. Strain off any pulp. You can use bottled lemon juice, but freshly squeezed juice is best. Put the water and shiso leaves in a pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low-medium and simmer for 10 minutes. The volume will decrease, and the leaves will turn green. Strain the liquid through a sieve lined with cotton gauze or a cheesecloth. Press the leaves lightly to extract more liquid. Return the strained liquid to the pan, add sugar and heat again. Mix well to dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil. Skim off any scum. Add the lemon juice, bring back to a boil and turn off the heat. As soon as you add the lemon juice, the liquid will turn a beautiful red color. When the liquid is cool, transfer to a clean storage jar and store in the refrigerator. Dilute with 2-3x water or soda water and enjoy. If you prefer a more concentrated flavor, serve the juice straight on the rocks, and drink it as the ice melts. It's delicious mixed with shochu (distilled clear liquor). I made a version with lots of vinegar and less sugar. 300 g red shiso leaves, 1 liter water, 350 g sugar and 150 ml vinegar.