Ginger Lemonade

This homemade ginger lemonade doesn’t hold back on the ginger. With a fresh grated ginger and honey simple syrup, every sip carries real ginger heat. Fresh lemon juice blends with the floral natural sweetener for a bright, spicy-sweet balance. Pour the syrup over water and ice, and make it as a pitcher, individual glasses, or double for a punch-bowl-sized crowd.

Honey Ginger Lemonade, Right At Home

I first had this drink on my honeymoon, at the Peter Island resort in the British Virgin Islands. I’m not exaggerating when I say I drank the place nearly dry of it. Every day, many, many glasses.

Before we left, I made sure I figured out how they made this refreshing beverage so I could enjoy it at home. Their answer was simple: grate the ginger, and lots of it. Not slice it, not chop it — grate it, so every bit of juice gets released into the syrup. That one detail is the whole reason the drink tasted the way it did. Punchy, ginger-forward, and sharp enough to stand up against the tartness of the lemonade instead of getting lost in it.

I tried cutting corners once, and sliced the ginger instead of grating it to save time. It wasn’t the same drink. Less bite, less flavor, more like lemonade with ginger nearby rather than ginger lemonade. Lesson learned — grate it.

The other purposeful choice I made was honey in the simple syrup instead of granulated sugar. I do the same thing in my homemade strawberry lemonade. Honey brings a floral, natural sweetness, and it pairs with lemon in a way that your average lemonade stand can’t match.

I make this one all summer, and every single time, that first sip takes me right back to the island.

How To Make Ginger Lemonade

Let’s talk about the ginger first. Use fresh ginger, if you can. You’ll need a bigger piece to get the amount of ginger I use.

An option to the fresh ginger is frozen ginger cubes. These are great because each cube is pre-grated and pre-measured. I’ve used it, and it works well.

Peel the ginger so no bits of skin end up in the lemonade. My go-to trick: use the back of a spoon — it gets into all the nooks faster and easier than a peeler. Then grate it with a microplane, so you can scrape every bit of pulp and juice right off the blade and into the syrup.

Juice the fresh lemons. You’ll need about 4 to 5 of them. And since we will strain the syrup, it’s ok if some seeds make it through.

Add the honey, grated ginger, and water to a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until it just starts to simmer. We don’t want it to cook too long, or the honey and ginger can develop a scorched flavor.

Stir in the lemon juice and let the syrup sit and steep for at least fifteen minutes. As the syrup cools, the ginger flavor permeates the mix. It may be tempting to just pour the syrup over ice and water, but you do want to give the ginger time to infuse the syrup. If you’re using raw, unfiltered honey like I do, expect the syrup to be a deeper golden color.

Some of the ginger will naturally dissolve, but to avoid chunks of grated ginger in your drink, strain the syrup.

At this point, you can jar and refrigerate the ginger syrup to make individual lemonade as you wish. I actually like to keep mine in a mason jar (my pitcher takes up a lot of fridge space), and I can be liberal with my syrup-water-ice ratio.

To make the large pitcher, pour the syrup into your vessel and cover with water and ice. If you have any leftover ginger, cut a few slices to add as garnish with slices of lemon.

Everything I’ve Learned Making This Lemonade

• Ginger matters – Ground ginger just won’t work – it’s not strong enough. Same goes for ginger syrup. You’d need a whole jar of either to get any flavor.
• Fresh lemons are best – So the ginger flavor doesn’t get overpowered, the juice from fresh lemons is preferred. For the same reason, in my blueberry lemonade recipe, store-bought lemonade has a lot of sugar that can hide the star flavor.
• Make it as a mocktail or cocktail – I’m biased towards the non-alcoholic variety of lemonade, but this can easily be made adult with your favorite spirit.
• Freeze it for a slushy twist – Pour the finished lemonade into ice cube trays, freeze, then blend for a frozen version (how I make my frozen whipped lemonade). It’s a fun way to switch things up if you’re craving something a little more like a slushy than a sipper.

Ginger Lemonade

4.8 from 4 reviews

This ginger lemonade starts with a simple syrup made with grated ginger and honey, infusing every drop with spicy ginger and floral honey. Fresh lemon juice is mixed in and poured over water and ice for a bright, zesty-sweet sip.

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by Erin Cernich

Yield6 Servings

Prep30 minutes minutes

Total Time30 minutes minutes

Equipment

• ▢
  Small Heavy Duty Saucepan
• ▢
  Fine Mesh Strainer
• ▢
  Microplane

Ingredients

• ▢ 7 cups water
• ▢ 10 to 12 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated (about a 4-inch piece)
• ▢ 1 cup honey
• ▢ 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from 4 to 5 lemons )

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Instructions

 

• ▢
  Use a microplane or small cheese grater to grate the ginger. The smaller grater makes it easier to capture all the bits of ginger and juice.
If you prefer a spicy ginger lemonade, use 12 teaspoons of grated ginger. For a lighter spice, use 10 teaspoons.
• ▢
  In a small saucepan, add 1 cup of water, grated ginger, and honey. Cook over medium heat until the honey has dissolved and the mix starts to simmer. Be careful not to overcook, or the ginger can scorch.
  10 to 12 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated, 1 cup honey, 1 cups water
• ▢
  Remove the syrup from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let the mix cool for at least 20 minutes to allow the ginger to steep with the liquid.
  1 cup fresh lemon juice
I use raw organic unfiltered honey, which makes the syrup a little darker.
• ▢
  Strain the ginger syrup through a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl, or directly into your serving pitcher.
• ▢
  In a serving pitcher, add the remaining 6 cups of water and the ginger syrup. Stir to mix. Chill in the refrigerator, or serve immediately over ice and garnish with a lemon slice.
  6 cups water

Notes

• Serving Size – This recipe makes a smaller batch of lemonade, but it’s easy to double for a crowd.
• Ginger – I prefer fresh ginger, but frozen ginger cubes work well too — they come pre-grated in 1-teaspoon portions and are usually found in the freezer section near the vegetables.
• Ginger Syrup – The syrup keeps well in the refrigerator, so you can make a single glass at a time instead of the whole pitcher. For a 12-ounce glass, start with about 3 tablespoons of syrup and add more to taste.
• Sweetener  – Honey lends a floral, fruity sweetness that pairs beautifully with the lemon. Swap it 1:1 with any sweetener you prefer.
• Lemon Juice – Fresh lemon juice gives the brightest flavor, but bottled will work in a pinch.

Nutrition Estimates

Calories: 138kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.02g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.2mg

Nutrition information is calculated by a third-party and should only be considered an estimate and not a guarantee.