Lemon Ginger Soda Food

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 ELECTROLYTE DRINK

Steps:

• Finely grate ginger and, using a flexible spatula, press solids into a fine-mesh sieve set over a small bowl; discard pulp. You should have about 1 tsp. ginger juice.
• Combine ginger juice, lemon juice, lime juice, agave, and salt in a large measuring cup or bowl. Stir in mineral water. Pour over 2 glasses filled with ice.
• Do Ahead
• Lemon-ginger mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Stir vigorously before adding mineral water.

LEMON GINGER SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place rack in middle of oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the chopped crystallized ginger and lemon zest. Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough.
• Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 11/2 inches (3.75 cm) thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 3 or 4 pie-shaped wedges (triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet. Make an egg wash of one well-beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture.
• Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and then turn your broiler on high. Sift confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar heavily over the tops of the scones and place them under the broiler. Broil for just a few seconds, turning the pan as necessary, until the sugar has melted and turns golden brown. Make sure to watch the scones carefully as the sugar will burn very quickly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

SPIKED GINGER-LEMONADE SODA CAN COCKTAIL

Steps:

• Pour off or drink 5 oz. from ginger beer so that 7 oz. remain in can. Combine gin, lemon juice, and bitters in a measuring glass or cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and stir or shake well to combine, about 20 seconds. Strain into can.

SPARKLING GINGER LEMONADE

Steps:

• In a saucepan, bring the water, honey and ginger to a boil. Remove from heat; cover and steep for 10 minutes. Strain, discarding ginger. Cool., Transfer to a pitcher; stir in soda and lemon juice. Serve over ice. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh mint, if desired.

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.

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.

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.

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.

LEMON-GINGER SALT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200°. Pulse salt, lemon zest and ginger in a food processor until blended. Transfer to an 8-in. square baking dish. Stir in lemon juice. Bake, stirring occasionally, until dry, 20-25 minutes. Cool completely. Stir with a fork to break up. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months.