Love and Olive Oil

Ginger Lemonade

Spicy Ginger Lemonade from @loveandoliveoil

It should come at no surprise that I have a bit of an obsession with ginger. I’ve made it my personal mission to become well-versed in all things ginger ale/beer, ordering it whenever we go out. Other people order fancy cocktails and wine, I order ginger beer. At least it’s more exciting than water (what can I say, I’m a cheap date).

I’ll admit, I totally judge a restaurant by the quality of the ginger ale they serve, even the nicest joints get a black mark in my book when I’m forced to drink Canada Dry.

The top 3 of the moment? My favorite is without a doubt Fever Tree, followed by Gosling’s, then a tie between Bundaberg and Maine Root for third (a gingery world tour, of sorts, made in the UK, Australia, Bermuda, and Maine, respectively). Maybe one of these days I’ll do a post about my favorite ginger beers. If you like your ginger pure and strong and spicy, you’ll love these ginger beers. Mix them with rum if you have to, but when it comes to ginger I’m a total purist.

Spicy Ginger Lemonade from @loveandoliveoil

This ginger lemonade stems from my deep seated love for ginger. The ginger flavor is much lighter than my favorite spicy ginger beers, but I didn’t want it to overpower the lemon in this case, as this is first and foremost lemonade, with ginger, and not the other way around.

That said, if you love spicy ginger to the extreme, might I recommend adding a bit of ginger juice at the end? If you have a juicer this will be easy, otherwise, puree a chunk of semi-frozen ginger in your blender or food processor, then strain it through a fine mesh sieve. The extra spice will clear your sinuses in no time.

Spicy Ginger Lemonade from @loveandoliveoil

Also, in case you were curious about the pieces I’ve used in these photos, the carafes in the background are Weck juice jars (1L and 1/2L sizes – this recipe will fill two 1L jars perfectly). I just bought these awesome stainless steel drinking straws which are perhaps my new favorite thing. So much cooler than paper.

(Psst! This post contains affiliate links. If you happen to buy something mentioned here, I will get a percentage. Just so you know, it’ll probably go right back to amazon for some awesome ingredient or prop that I’ll use in another delicious recipe. What goes around, comes around, I guess. Thanks in advance!)

Ginger Lemonade

For a stronger ginger flavor add a tablespoon or two of fresh ginger juice (run through a juicer or puréed and then strained).

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Ingredients:

  • 7 cups filtered or spring water, divided
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 2/3 cup lemon juice (from 6-8 lemons)

Directions:

  1. In a saucepan, combine 1 cup water with sugar and chopped ginger. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer for 5 minutes then remove from heat; cover and let steep for 30 minutes. Transfer to a heat-proof container or mason jar and refrigerate until completely cool.
  2. In a 2 quart pitcher, combine lemon juice and cooled sugar syrup. Add remaining 6 cups of water and stir well. Serve chilled over ice.
All images and text © / Love & Olive Oil

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42 Comments

  1. How long do you think this would last in the fridge? I made your recipe before and loved it! I want to make for my baby shower, but wondering if I can make a few days in advance (the days right before are packed with out of town guest)? Do you think it will taste as fresh? Thank you!

    • I think it’d definitely last a day or two, no problem! :) You could also mix up the lemon/ginger/sugar syrup and freeze it (like a concentrate) and then thaw and mix in the water before serving.

  2. Adding ginger gives a nice kick of spice to sweetness of lemonade! Sounds refreshing, thanks for sharing!

  3. Thanks for the recipe, this one has become my favorite! :-)

  4. Simply refreshing! Making this today. 

  5. Great recipe! I too love ginger, especially in a great drink! I just shared a recipe for Iced Mint and Green Tea over on my site, though your post has made me want to return to my recipe and tweak it a bit with some gingery kick! Thanks for sharing!

  6. I love the zing the ginger brings to good old lemonade. Now I wonder what kind of booze I can sneak into it….

  7. This looks so refreshing!

  8. This looks super refreshing, and I’m guessing would also go well with vodka or gin?

  9. I made this last night for a dinner party with guests who don’t drink alcohol. It was a big hit! Thanks for posting it.

  10. This is going on my must-try list!

  11. YESSSSS! I love ALL things ginger.

  12. looks so good!! and perfect for summertime now. so in love with the pictures <3
    x
    laura&nora

  13. I have the same Q as Alice, please, please post an answer…should you strain the ginger OUT of the syrup after it’s been steeped 30 minutes, before storing it? Your photos show a beverage that appears clear of the ginger pieces, but your recipe says otherwise. Thank you for answering so we know for sure.

    • Yep, you can strain if you want, or if you chop up pretty big chunks of ginger you can leave them in there sunk at the bottom for more ginger flavor the longer they sit.

  14. This sounds so good!

  15. This ginger lemonade recipe sounds very appealing to me. Must get some ginger as I forget it can be kept in the freezer. Nice to think of delicious non-alcoholic-drinks to try in restaurants. Your photos and tools are interesting.
    Glad to be reminded I have an Amazon gift card!

  16. I adore ginger, and just posted a recipe for chocolate ginger truffles about an hour ago!  This lemonade and ginger ice cream are next on my ginger to-do list :).

    That last photo with the lemon squeezer is extra gorgeous!

  17. I’m also a big fan of ginger,  love the spiciness! 

  18. OoOo this sounds delicious!

  19. Have you tried fentimans ginger beer? Another British brand, and quite obscure at that but very gingery and great! Don’t know if you can get it in the US but you should certainly try!

  20. This looks so awesome.. a nice summer mocktail!! Also, can I suggest another ginger beer for your list? I love Reed’s Ginger Beer– so good. It’s spicy and pineapple juice is one of their sweeteners! :)

  21. Nice!

  22. Great idea! I actually tried to drink pure ginger juice and I was kind of grossed out. I want to add more ginger to my diet so that sounds a great way to do it!

  23. I love ginger and lemons and have been recently attempting to cut out sugary drinks or anything with aspartame in it. I can’t wait to try this instead, natural flavors at it’s best! thanks for sharing this awesome recipe! xx. gigi.

  24. I love ginger and I love lemonade – I would guzzle this stuff :) pinned!

  25. There is a local restaurant by us that makes a version of ginger lemonade with rosemary in it – it is to die for.  I think I might try that with this recipe!

  26. I absolutely love ginger. Fantastic to love something which is healthy as well. I will try this recipe one hot summer day!

  27. I loooove this! I am also obsessed with Fever Tree ginger ale. I buy it in bulk on Amazon (it’s a splurge but such a treat!). Lemons and ginger ale are two of my favorite things, so this is definitely on my make-this-summer list!

  28. OMG love this. I adore ginger lemonade, so good!! These photos are just perfect, BTW!

  29. I loveee lemonade, then to add in ginger! Sounds delicious!

  30. I love ginger and make a ginger simple syrup in the frig for ice tea or even a cocktail. Right now I have a ginger and mint simple syrup which I think would be good in the lemonade.

  31. I love ginger as well! Have you tried Crabbie’s alcoholic ginger beer? It’s super tasty. Quick question, with the ginger sugar syrup, do you need to strain it before serving?

    • You can strain if you want, esp if serving immediately. But if it’s going to sit for a while, leave the chunks in there and the ginger flavor will continue to develop!

  32. Oh man, if only this were around when I was putting together the ultimate lemonade round up for SMP Living! This TOTALLY takes the cake. Sounds delicious!

  33. Now this is a delicious, refreshing summer beverage! Yum! Love anything with ginger. :)

  34. Two of my favorite things, ginger and lemonade. Definitely going to try this.

  35. I love ginger beer, but usually mixed in to my cocktail…I’m not quite as cheap of date ;) But I love all things ginger (especially really gingery chai tea) and this looks like a seriously yummy summer drink! 

  36. I’ll admit, I wasn’t a ginger lover until semi recently, but ginger beer is on the top of my list for favorites now!

  37. I LOVE ginger — this looks and sounds SO good.

  38. Bundaberg is soo yummy. Glad your mentioned it. haha Lovely recipie.
    Renee x

  39. Such a nice summer recipe! Yum!

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