Drinks
Lemon-Ginger Honey Drink, Hot or Sparkling
Ginger and lemon simmer with honey into a concentrated base. Strain it, then add a little to hot water or pour it over ice and top with seltzer.
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Cuisine
- Contemporary
Bring it to the table
Press the ginger when straining
Use a fine sieve and press the cooked ginger gently to recover the liquid. The concentrate is strong, so mix a small measure into water rather than serving it straight.
At the table
For each drink, start with about 2 tablespoons concentrate and top with hot water or seltzer to taste. Garnish with lemon wheels or twists.
Before you start
Gather your ingredients.
Full quantities and serving adjustments are in the recipe card below.
See the ingredient checklist
- 10 oz fresh ginger — peeled and coarsely chopped
- 5 wide strips lemon zest
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup honey
- cayenne pepper — a pinch
- kosher salt — a pinch
- 1/2 cup water
- hot water or seltzer — to serve
- ice — for a cold drink
- lemon wheels or twists — to finish
A few useful notes.
The base batch makes about 4–5 drinks; the serving control starts at 4.
Keep leftover cooled concentrate covered in the refrigerator.
The cooking plan
How to make Lemon-Ginger Honey Drink, Hot or Sparkling.
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Put the ginger, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, cayenne, salt and measured water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 30–40 minutes, until darker and reduced by about a third.
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Strain through a fine sieve into a heatproof jug, pressing the solids to recover the liquid. Discard the solids. The base batch makes roughly half to two thirds of a cup of concentrate.
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For a hot drink, put about 2 tablespoons concentrate in a mug and add hot water to taste. For a cold drink, cool the concentrate, pour the same starting measure over ice and top with seltzer. Adjust the dilution to your preference and garnish with lemon.
Let’s cook
The full recipe.
Check off ingredients as you get them ready.
Changing servings? The ingredient list scales automatically. Adjust quantities named in the steps to match, and choose pans and cooking times for your batch.
Lemon-Ginger Honey Drink, Hot or Sparkling
Instructions
- Put the ginger, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, cayenne, salt and measured water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 30–40 minutes, until darker and reduced by about a third.
- Strain through a fine sieve into a heatproof jug, pressing the solids to recover the liquid. Discard the solids. The base batch makes roughly half to two thirds of a cup of concentrate.
- For a hot drink, put about 2 tablespoons concentrate in a mug and add hot water to taste. For a cold drink, cool the concentrate, pour the same starting measure over ice and top with seltzer. Adjust the dilution to your preference and garnish with lemon.
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!A couple of useful answers.
Can I serve it cold?
Yes. Cool the concentrate, pour over ice and add seltzer to taste.
How much concentrate goes in a drink?
Start with about 2 tablespoons per mug or glass, then dilute with hot water or seltzer to your preference.
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