Summer is here, which means it’s time to enjoy all the outdoor cookout classics like burgers, watermelon, and of course, fresh-squeezed lemonade! This recipe is a twist on the classic version, that’s only elevated by the incredible flavors of fresh ginger and mint. Pair it with Grilled Vegetable Pesto Sandwiches, Homemade Burgers, or even mix with Home Brewed Iced Tea.

MINT GINGER LEMONADE’S ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

Purchasing produce and herbs loose in bulk cuts down on excess packaging going into landfills or oceans, especially when using Reusable Produce Bags
Both mint and ginger are items that can be easily grown at home (even for beginners), mint rapidly grows from just a small cutting, while ginger can be regrown from sprouted ends just like potatoes
The soft drink, soda, and energy drink industries have an incredibly high impact of the environment, due to factors such as packaging, ingredients, transportation, and more (as well as severe negligence and lack of accountability for the pollution they create), where as making your own beverages at home can greatly reduce this impact

Mint Ginger Lemonade

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Total Time: 4 Hours
Makes 6 cups

Ingredients:

1 ½ - 2 inches Fresh Ginger (about 1 - 1 ½ Tablespoons when chopped) or equal amount of ginger skins & scraps (see notes)

5-6 sprigs of Fresh Mint

1 ½ cups Lemon Juice (6-8 Lemons)

1 – 1 ½ cups Sugar (or sweetener of choice)

3 cups Water

Instructions:

1. PREP: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, rinse off the fresh mint and ginger to remove any dirt or grime. Cut the ginger into small chunks, or alternatively, use ginger peels and leftover knobs from previous cooking recipes. Place the whole mint sprigs (stem included) along with the ginger into a Reusable Cotton Straining Bag, and pour over 3 cups of boiling water. Allow to steep and cool for at least 4 hours, or overnight in the fridge.

2. ASSEMBLE: After steeping, remove the straining bag from the water, and squeeze the bag to extract as much flavor as possible. The used mint and ginger can be added to a compost or food scrap bin. Cut and juice the lemons, saving the rinds for compost or other zero-waste lemon peel recipes. Add the lemon juice to a large pitcher, along with 1 cup of sugar or sweetener of choice, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour in the strained mint-ginger water, stir to combine, and check for taste. At this point, add in any additional lemon juice, sugar, or plain water to meet your preferences.

3. ENJOY: Place the pitcher into the fridge to chill for a few hours, or serve immediately over ice and enjoy! This lemonade can be enjoyed on its own, or combined with some Home Brewed Iced Tea to make your own Arnold Palmer drink.

Notes:

Drink Combinations — This lemonade can be enjoyed on its own, or combined with some Home Brewed Iced Tea to make your own Arnold Palmer drink. For a boozy version, feel free to add a shot of any complimenting liquor to each glass. You can even adjust the ingredients to match the drink, like swapping in lime juice and agave for an easy gingery margarita or mojito mixer!

Using Ginger Scraps – One way to make this recipe even more zero-waste friendly is to use scrap ginger for brewing! Tons of cooking recipes called for the ginger to be peeled and grated, but that can lead to food waste with unused peels and tiny leftover ginger knobs. So save those skins and leftover pieces in the freezer and put them to use in this lemonade!

Adjusting the Sweetness – While white sugar is the standard for most lemonade recipes, feel free use any kind of sweetener that you like! Just note that some natural sweeteners like maple syrup or molasses have very distinct flavors that might not pair well with the lemon-ginger-mint medley, so we’d recommend sticking to lighter flavored sweeteners like agave, honey, or rice/date syrup. And as every alternative has varying levels of sweetness, we’d recommend starting off with 1 cup of sweetener, then testing and adjusting it from there to fit your preferences.

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