lemongrass infused syrup

After struggling to find flavouring syrups in Bangkok that aren't packed with unnecessary additives or at a massively inflated price I decided to have a go at making my own. This syrup would be great for flavouring cocktails - try it with rum or vodka, a generous squeeze of lime juice and some soda water, or  simply with some water, lemon or lime slices and ice cubes for a refreshing summer drink. The ingredients I'm using here are readily available in Bangkok but increasingly easy to find in UK supermarkets now too. When preparing the ingredients don't make any of them too small otherwise they'll be a pain to remove from the syrup afterwards

Ingredients
3 stems of lemongrass
1 Lime (I used a Kafir lime)
thumb sized piece of galangal
1 cup of sugar
1 1/2 cups of water

1. Lightly bash up the lemongrass with a rolling pin or other suitably heavy implement so that it is bruised.
2. With a sharp knife remove the lime zest in large pieces being carefully to not remove too much of the white pitch underneath. You don't want to use the pitch as it will make the syrup too bitter.
3. Slice the galangal into thickish slices lengthways. 
4. Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan and put over a low heat, uncovered, until all the sugar has dissolved and bubbles are gently rising to the surface. Turn off the heat and leave to cool before using allowing the flavours to infuse further.
5. If you're not going to use the full amount straight away transfer the syrup to a properly sterilised bottle or jar and should keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks or so.