Place ten fig leaves in a pot with 2 litres of water, 180g sugar, and the peels and juice of 2 lemons. Bring to a boil, reduce to an active simmer and reduce by half (takes up to an hour).

Cool, strain, and funnel it into a bottle; refrigerate until use.

Pour over ice and top with sparkling water. Or replace with Prosecco for an alcoholic version.

It could also be used to replace the standard sugar syrup in cocktails if you reduce the cordial down to a syrup. A nice variation on the classic gimlet.