One excellent way to end a hearty winter meal on an up note is to serve small glasses of warm ginger lemonade, a tasty citrus broth that cleanses your palate and your mind for a relaxing, restorative sleep.
(There are old wives about who claim that warm lemonade will cure your cold. They may be right or they may not. Who knows? But a mug of this surely can’t hurt.)
You may stir in a shot of rum or whiskey if you like, or serve this straight up.
Warm Ginger Lemonade
Makes 6 servings.
Ingredients
GINGER HONEY SYRUP
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
Small piece (about 3 inches) fresh ginger, chopped into 6-10 pieces
LEMONADE
4 lemons, scrubbed
6 cups water
Ginger syrup to taste
Directions
Make the ginger honey syrup: Mix together 1 cup water, sugar, honey and ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Set aside to steep.
Make the lemonade: Cut lemons into quarters. Place 6 cups water in a medium saucepan, then squeeze lemon quarters directly into water, extracting all the juice. Drop squeezed lemons into water and boil 1 minute. Strain. Add ginger syrup to taste, a tablespoon at a time. Serve hot in mugs.
