Heat the water to boiling.

Turn off the heat, add the herbs, and let steep for 15 minutes with the lid on.

Strain the herbs out and reserve the herb-infused water.

Add the herb-infused water and lemon juice to a clean saucepan and heat over medium heat until the liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup.

Add the honey.

Heat over low heat until it reaches 280-300°F. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, this usually takes about 40 minutes and can be tested by dropping a drop of the mixture into ice water to see if it immediately hardens.

The honey mixture will start to foam as it cooks. When this happens remove it from the heat and stir until the foam goes down, then return to heat. You’ll likely need to do this every minute or so once it starts to simmer.

As soon as it reaches the right temperature, remove it from the heat quickly so it doesn’t burn.

Stir in the essential oil if using.