This is two recipes for the price of one! Scroll further down for the much stronger “ginger pow” version.

Credits

Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes.

Ingredients

amount (weight)	amount (volume)	ingredient
250g	1 cup	ginger, fresh
500g	2 cups	water
170g	½ cup	honey, liquid
225g	1 cup	water
1 small		lemon, whole, juice of
~8oz		sparkling water
to taste		sea salt (optional)
to taste		ice (optional)

A Note on Ginger

I pre-process most of my fresh ginger in the blender and freeze it for use in all my recipes, which makes this very simple. If you’re using fresh ginger, you can blend it with the water or grate it finely on a microplane.

Process

1. Ginger Water: mix ginger with water, set aside
2. Light Honey Simple Syrup: mix honey with water, stir until the honey is completely dissolved (a few minutes), set aside
3. in a tall glass, add ¼ cup each of the simple syrup and ginger water (strain if desired); add the lemon juice and swirl to mix
4. top up the glass with sparkling water
5. if desired, sprinkle a smidge of sea salt for added flavor
   • the salt will make the drink froth and bubble up, so make sure the glass isn’t so full that it will overflow, if adding the salt

Variation: Ginger POW

WARNING: Ginger can be a very strong spice, especially this variation which brings out more of the spiciness. Each individual has varying tolerances and health profiles, so proceed at your own risk. If you have any concerns, research the properties of ginger, and start with less of the ginger water. You can always add more later if you like.

Ginger water

1. to a small sauce pot, add the ginger and water and set it over a medium high flame
   • if you have an exhaust fan, turn it on as the spice from the ginger will aerate from the steam and can cause coughing or irritation
2. cook until the water reduces by about half, stirring occasionally (it won’t be half in overall volume because of the ginger)
3. once the water has reduced significantly, let cool
4. add the mixture to a high powered blender and blend until smooth, ~1 minute
5. strain the mixture (optional, sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t)

making the drink

1. Light Honey Simple Syrup: mix honey with water, stir until the honey is completely dissolved (a few minutes), set aside
2. in a tall glass, add ¼ cup of the simple syrup, the juice of 1 lemon, and 2 tablespoons of the ginger water
3. top up the glass with sparkling water, taste, and adjust the amount of ginger water to your preference
4. if desired, sprinkle a smidge of sea salt for added flavor
   • the salt will make the drink froth and bubble up, so make sure the glass isn’t so full that it will overflow, if adding the salt

Notes

Ginger Water

Store the ginger water (either version) in a glass jar in the fridge.

Use your best judgement regarding how long it will stay good for. If the taste, smell, or texture is off, feel free to toss it. If you don’t think you’ll be able to get through all of it before it goes off, freeze it in an ice cube tray for use later.

Remember that it is just a ginger and water concentrate, so feel free to repurpose it for other drinks, like tea, kava, meat marinades, dressings, etc. You can even toss it in your salans and curries.

Light Honey Simple Syrup

I typically make the simple syrup in a glass measuring cup and then just store it in the same vessel in the fridge (uncovered). You could put it into a squeeze bottle, mason jar, whatever you have on hand.

If in an airtight container, it supposedly can last up to a month in the fridge. Again, use your best judgement.

Sugar syrups are a great way to make many different drinks, so remember to stay flexible. Use it in teas, coffees, marinades, vinaigrettes, sauces, as a soak for a sponge cake, etc.