This is a year-round drink. This easy ginger lemonade recipe is fantastic cold or hot. Fresh ginger adds a kick to this old-fashioned classic, which uses fresh ingredients and can be adjusted for sweetness and sharpness. The lemon ginger syrup in itself is wonderful and can be used for cocktails and teas.
A unique lemonade
There are many reasons to make this twist on a classic, and one of them is that it's good at any temperature.
It allows you to control the ingredients that go into it. You can use fresh, natural ingredients and avoid artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives in store-bought flavored lemonade.
Easy to make: it's a simple process that requires few ingredients and tools. It's a great way to beat the heat on a hot summer day.
My homemade classic lemonade is a must at our house, especially in the Summer. And I just love finding new variations like this one.
As with most (or all) of my drinks and beverages, you can adjust the amount of fruit, sugar, and lemon juice to suit your and your family's palate.
FAQ
While you technically can, I don't recommend it as it won't have the same fresh flavor as freshly squeezed lemon juice. If you do, read the label to ensure it doesn't contain added sugar or preservatives.
Yes, you can. It keeps for a few days in the fridge and can be frozen for a month. To delay degradation and spoilage, always use the right airtight containers or glass jars with a lid.
Absolutely! Use less ginger and/or lemon juice. Find your perfect balance and write it down for future reference. Always taste and adapt recipes to your own palate.
Ingredient Notes
Quantities are listed in the recipe card toward the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands I use.
- Lemon juice: freshly squeezed for the best flavor.
- Fresh ginger: don't use ground; it doesn't work.
- Cold water: Use regular water with ice cubes or make the lemonade ahead so it has time to chill in the fridge before serving.
Variations & substitutions
Feel free to experiment with different ingredients and flavors to create your own unique homemade lemonade recipe.
- Mint: add chopped fresh mint leaves to the ginger syrup for a refreshing and cooling flavor.
- Club soda or seltzer: replace a cup of water for a slight fizz.
- Sugar: cane sugar, fine muscovado or coconut sugar can be used, but keep in mind that they tend to sweeten less, so adjust.
- Honey, maple syrup, or agave: substitute the sugar with another syrup for a more natural sweetener.
- Spiked ginger lemonade: add vodka, gin, tequila or rum and make a cocktail similar to the blueberry lemonade with vodka.
Steps to make ginger lemonade
Make the syrup
You can make it as strong as you want to. Simply reduce it more for a more pronounced flavor, or less for a weaker one.
Ginger is a strong flavor, so if it's your first time, go easy and see how you like it.
Drain
Use a fine-mesh colander to drain it and leave behind the ginger, lemon strips and herbs. You want a clear syrup.
Storage
Use a glass jar with a tight lid (like a mason jar) and keep it refrigerated. Depending on the amount of sugar you used, it will keep for weeks. You can also freeze it.
Storing lemonade
If stored properly in the refrigerator, this ginger lemonade can last up to 5 days. However, its freshness and flavor will gradually decline over time.
- Store it in an airtight container: transfer your lemonade from the pitcher to a clean container with a tight-fitting lid or cover.
- Keep it refrigerated: this will help prevent bacterial growth and keep it fresh.
- Check for signs of spoilage: If your lemonade or fruit looks cloudy, has an off odor or taste, or shows signs of mold, discard it immediately.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: Read the recipe first and ensure you have the ingredients at the correct temperature, the equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Simple sugar syrup: you can use it instead of sugar. If you already have some, use ½ cup instead of the sugar. If you want to make it, heat ½ cup sugar with ½ cup water, stir it once to mix and let it come to a boil. Let cool completely and use. It keeps in the fridge almost indefinitely. Always in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
- Freezing lemonade with ginger: it keeps for a month. You can use a freezer-safe container or pour it into ice cube trays as we do for the frozen lemonade concentrate.
- Stir before serving: The ingredients can settle at the bottom of the jar or pitcher over time. Give it a good stir before serving to distribute the ingredients evenly.
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Ginger Lemonade (3 ingredients)
Ingredients
Lemon ginger syrup:
- 4 large lemons
- 2 cups water
- 5 or 6 slices fresh ginger
- 1 and ½ cups sugar
- a few sprigs of fresh mint, optional
Lemonade:
- 2 cups cold water, or to taste
- 6 to 8 tablespoons syrup
- 2 slices fresh lemon, to serve
- mint leaves, optional, for garnish
Instructions
For the ginger simple syrup:
- Using a paring knife or a vegetable peeler, peel 4 large lemons. Try to peel as little white part as possible. Set aside.
- Squeeze the juice from the peeled lemons.
- Put the lemon juice, lemon peel, 5 or 6 slices fresh ginger, 1 and ½ cups sugar and a few sprigs of fresh mint (if using) in a medium saucepan. Pour in 2 cups water.
- Place on the stove at medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and cool completely. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer into a jar or another type of glass container.
- Refrigerate until cold. Keep refrigerated if making ahead of time.
Make the lemonade:
- Divide 6 to 8 tablespoons syrup and 2 slices fresh lemon among 2 glasses.
- Add a few cubes of ice and 1 cup cold water into each glass. Stir to mix. Taste and adjust with more syrup to your liking.
- Garnish with mint leaves if you want to and serve. You can also fill a pitcher with lemonade, using half to 1 cup of syrup and going from there.
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