Refreshment!

Ugh, this summer has been hot. It's curled the leaves on my dahlias, burned new plantlings, and made me wish I lived steps from the ocean rather than miles. I've been sweating rivers and avoiding the out-of-doors, and reveling in the brief moments of respite. And shade. Or respite in the shade. And icy beverages.

This one is my favorite - homemade lime ginger ale. It's a sweet, tart, slightly spicy concoction that is divine on a hot sticky afternoon.

To make it, I borrowed a ginger syrup recipe that called for one part ginger to one part sugar - first peel, then slice fresh ginger, and boil with sugar and a bit of water (about half of the volume of sugar) for 20-30 minutes. Strain it into a jar, and it will keep in the refrigerator for a month. For a little spicier version, lessen the sugar to ginger ratio. I used one cup of ginger and sugar each, and that yielded about 1/2 cup of syrup. I used about 2 TBS of the syrup for each glass, plus 1/4 of a lime and topped with soda water or seltzer. And, of course garnished it with that sassy lime wheel up there.

Think this would also be spectacular as an adult beverage with rum or vodka. Cheers!