Ginger Lemon Soda Recipes

LEMON-GINGER SODA

Steps:

• Blend ginger with 1/2 cup water until smooth. Strain, pressing on solids to yield 1/2 cup juice. Stir together ginger juice, lemon juice, and honey. Ginger base can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 week. (It makes enough for 10 drinks.)
• Fill a glass with ice and add 2 tablespoons ginger base. Top with seltzer and garnish with a slice of ginger.

LEMON-GINGER WATER

Steps:

• Combine lemon juice, filtered water, ginger, and honey in a blender; blend for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Strain the mixture evenly into 4 quart-sized mason jars or a 1-gallon pitcher. Top off with remaining water and stir. Place lids on jar or cover pitcher and store in the refrigerator.

SPARKLING GINGER-LEMON SODA

Steps:

• Combine ginger and 2 quarts cold water in a large pot. Cut lemons in half and squeeze into pot, straining out pits. Drop lemon halves into pot and bring to a boil. Turn off heat, cover and let steep 30 minutes. Stir in honey, then taste for sweetness, adding more to taste. Strain mixture into a container and discard solids. Let cool to room temperature, then chill until very cold.
• Working in small batches, pour cold mixture into the bottle of a carbonator, filling it not more than 1/3 full (this will give the mixture room to foam). Charge with CO2 until very fizzy, waiting between charges for foam to subside completely. (This can take up to 2 minutes, so be patient.)
• Very slowly, as if opening a bottle of soda, release the bottle from the carbonator. Serve immediately, or cover tightly and chill. (Extra soda mixture can be refrigerated for up to a week, and can be served carbonated or flat.) To serve, pour over ice and top with a mint sprig. If desired, add a slug of rum to each glass.

FRESH GINGER AND LEMON SODA

Steps:

• Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a boil and use a wooden spoon to stir occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and set the simple syrup aside to cool for 5 minutes.
• In a blender jar, combine the ginger and sliced lemon; add the warm simple syrup and place a lid on the blender. Begin blending on the lowest speed until the ginger and lemon are roughly chopped, about 1 minute. Turn off the blender and let the ginger-lemon syrup steep for 10 minutes. Repeat, this time blending the ginger-lemon syrup on medium speed for 1 minute before turning the blender off and steeping for 10 minutes more.
• Strain the ginger-lemon syrup through a fine-meshed sieve lined with 2 layers of water-moistened cheesecloth, set over a medium bowl, using a rubber spatula to help push the mixture through.
• Fill a glass with ice, add 3/4 cup seltzer water. Top with ¼ cup ginger-lemon syrup and use the spoon to stir. Adjust the flavor with more ginger-lemon syrup or seltzer as needed. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
• The remaining ginger-lemon syrup can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

SYRUP FOR GINGER AND LEMON ITALIAN SODA

Steps:

• Make double-strength simple syrup:.
• Place sugar and water in medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, using a wooden spoon to stir occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.
• Make simple syrup into flavored syrup:.
• Place the ginger, lemon, and the simple syrup in a blender jar, cover the jar, and blend on lowest speed until the solid ingredients are roughly chopped, about 1 minute.
• Turn off the blender and let the mixture steep for 10 minutes. Repeat, this time blending the syrup on medium speed for 1 minute, then shut it off and let steep 10 minutes more.
• Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve lined with 2 layers of water-moistened cheesecloth over a medium bowl. Store syrup tightly covered in the refrigerator up to a week.
• Make sodas:.
• To serve, fill a glass with crushed ice and 3/4 cup seltzer. Top with 1/4 cup ginger-lemon syrup and stir. Adjust flavor with more syrup or seltzer as needed. Garnish with a lemon wheel.

GINGER LEMON SODA

Steps:

• Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour in the syrup, then the soda. Stir with a straw and serve immediately.

HOMEMADE GINGER BEER

Steps:

• Grate enough ginger using Microplane to measure 3 1/2 tablespoons, then put in a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl to collect juice, pressing on solids and then discarding.
• Place funnel in neck of bottle and pour in 3 tablespoons ginger juice (reserve any remaining for another use). Add sugar, lemon juice, yeast, and a pinch of salt.
• Fill bottle with water, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of space at top. Remove funnel and screw cap on tightly. Gently shake bottle to dissolve sugar.
• Let stand at room temperature until plastic feels hard and no longer indents when squeezed, 24 to 36 hours.
• Chill ginger beer until very cold.

GINGER SODA

Steps:

• Bring ginger, lemon peel, and 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add sugar, and stir until it has dissolved. Return to a boil. Cook until syrup has been reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes.
• Pour syrup through a fine sieve into an airtight container; discard ginger and lemon peel. Let cool slightly. Cover, and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour (up to 1 week). To serve, fill 8 glasses with ice and lemon slices if desired; stir 1/4 cup syrup and 1 cup seltzer into each glass.