Ginger Lemonade

 

I don’t make drinks that often. I did take advantage of summer to make this sparkling grapefruit-raspberry lemonade, since the Engineer doesn’t like grapefruit or raspberry but the rest of us did. 

And once back in San Antonio, I made ginger lemonade. 

So, here’s the thing: because this lemonade is made with ginger and honey in addition to the lemon, it really felt like I was trying to fight a cold, not feel refreshed. That’s not a bad thing, of course, especially considering that one of the kids had brought a cold home from school at the time… I decided to freeze the leftover lemonade in an ice cube tray and I will pull it out when medicinally appropriate. 

3 ½ cups water, divided 

½ cup agave syrup (plus more to taste) 

2/3 cup chopped fresh ginger, peeling optional (clean the skin if you included it, though) 

1 cup lemon juice (5 lemons yield about 1 cup of juice) 

fresh mint leaves, for garnish (optional) 

In a small saucepan, combine ½ cup of the water, the agave, and the chopped fresh ginger. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, cook for 10 minutes to extract the ginger flavor. Remove from the heat. 

Meanwhile, to a glass jar or pitcher, add lemon juice and remaining water. Place a strainer over the jar/lemon mixture and pass the ginger syrup through it, removing any small pieces of ginger. Whisk the lemonade well to mix in the ginger syrup, and serve it over ice. Optionally, garnish with fresh mint leaves. Serve on its own or as a mixer with tequila, gin, or vodka. 

Lemonade will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator up to 5 days, or freeze in popsicle molds for a sweet, cold treat! Can also be frozen into ice cubes and added to summer beverages (I’d add it to ginger ale, actually).