Ginger Water is a very refreshing and delicious drink that is slightly sweetened with homemade ginger syrup. The amount of sweetness is a personal preference and you may adjust it to your taste by adding more or less syrup. Ginger Water may also be served with dinner in place of plain water or soda. The slices of fresh ginger, lime and lemon, as well as fresh mint leaves are added to this drink and chilled for a short while so all the flavors infuse for a truly delightful drink.
Ginger root has many health benefits with a warm and spicy flavor. The homemade ginger syrup is a treat on its own and no store bought brand matches this syrup in flavor or the natural ingredients that go into making it. The fresh ginger root should be firm without any soft spots. The skin should be a light tan color without any black spots or mold. I usually buy a few pieces of ginger roots and freeze them for my cooking. Not only this saves making extra trips to the market, it grates so much easier than fresh ginger; no more pesky fibers to deal with. Before freezing, wash the unpeeled roots very carefully to remove any possible sand and dry completely with a paper towel. Store the roots in a freezer safe bag for a few months.
You will have about a cup of syrup. Chill the syrup completely before adding the rest of the ingredients. In this recipe I have used half of the syrup but you may add more or less and adjust the sweetness to your taste. Stir in water, slices of lemon, lime, fresh ginger, and fresh mint leaves to the cold syrup, and chill for at least 30 more minutes to allow all the flavors to infuse. Add ice cubes right before serving and Enjoy!!
Prep time: 5 minutes and 1 hour inactive time
Chill time: 1 hour
- 2 ounces unpeeled frozen (or fresh) ginger root (about one 2-inch root)
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- Strips of zest from one lemon (use a vegetable peeler to get large strips)
- 4 cups water (mixed with ½ cup of the prepared syrup)
- Thin slices of lemon, lime, and fresh ginger
- Fresh mint leaves
- Add ice right before serving
- I have used unpeeled frozen ginger root because it is much easier to grate than the fresh root, but you may use fresh ginger if you prefer. Use a microplane grater or a sharp small holed grater to grate the ginger root.
- Use a vegetable peeler to peel long strips of zest from one lemon (only the yellow part).
- In a 1-Qt small saucepan heat 1 cup water and ½ cup sugar, stir to dissolve the sugar and bring the syrup to a low boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Add the grated ginger and strips of lemon zest to the simple syrup. Cover the saucepan and let it rest for about an hour.
- Use a fine mesh strainer to strain the ginger syrup into a bowl. Press the pulp inside the strainer to get all the syrup, then discard the zest and pulp. Chill the syrup in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Add ½ cup of the syrup to a pitcher. Add 4 cups of cold water with slices of lemon, lime, fresh ginger and fresh mint leaves.
- Chill the pitcher in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes or longer to infuse all the wonderful flavors from the fresh ingredients.
- Add 2 cups of ice to the pitcher and serve.
**You may use all or some of the ginger syrup. The extra syrup may be stored in an airtight glass bowl in the fridge for up to a week.
This is a ‘magnificent’, yes, magnificent drink! So refreshing, and above that, ginger’s health factor! Have you ever tried honey instead of sugar? Will it work? Honey is good for you, but doesn’t necessarily give intended flavor. I have never thought of freezing ginger. A great idea! I use ginger in my Japanese cooking and now I don’t need to run to the store, when I need only a small piece.
Thank you Fae, I’m glad you like the recipe. I have never tried honey because I like the taste of ginger a lot, and as much as I love honey it has a discernible flavor that might change that, but I want you to let me know how it is, if you try it! My daughter is the one who told me about freezing ginger, now I have ginger in my freezer all the time, such a time saver and grating it is a breeze!
Thank you for the tip on how to use frozen ginger. I gave up freezing ginger because I defrosted it before using it.
Dear Gerlinde, it is my pleasure! Grating and cooking frozen ginger root has certainly made things a lot easier around here 🙂 Thank you for your comment!