This past Sunday, my darling and I spent the afternoon in the backyard, reading the newspaper and playing Scrabble. I put together a plate of nibbles....cheese, crackers, tomatoes, ham, salami and yellow peppers. I made homemade ginger ale too. The ginger had the house smelling like Christmas in July. And cotton candy. A heady scent. It was a wonderfully lazy and laid back afternoon. But Scrabble just isn't the same without my Auntie.
Adapted from Roots by Diane Morgan
1/2 cup fresh ginger, grated
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup water
ice cubes
4 cups club soda
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
4 lime wedges
In a small saucepan, combine the ginger, sugar and water and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes to ensure the sugar has completely dissolved. Turn off the heat and allow syrup mixture to steep for half an hour. Once steeped, strain mixture through fine sieve or cheesecloth into mason jar. Cover and chill. Syrup will keep for up to two weeks in fridge.
When ready to serve, put 1/4 cup of the syrup, 1 cup club soda, 1 tbsp lime juice and 1 tsp lemon juice into glass over ice. Stir to combine. Garnish with lime wedge.