Sparkling Ginger Lemonade

I love ginger. Gingerbread, gingerbread cookies, gingersnaps, even gingered carrots... are we seeing a trend here? Of course, I'm also a redhead. So it may be genetic imprinting that's responsible for my love of all things ginger.

Tonight we have decided to keep the kitchen cooled down at dinnertime. We're going to grill pizzas out on the deck. This terrific recipe for lemonade with an edge will be a great compliment to the whole "beat the heat" dinner action.


Sparkling Ginger Lemonade
4 cups water
2 cups honey
2 Tbsp minced fresh gingerroot
4-5 cups Club Soda, chilled
2 cups fresh-squeezed lemon juice

In a saucepan, bring the water, honey and ginger to a boil. Don't worry about peeling the ginger. You're going to strain it out after it steeps anyway. Remove from the heat; cover and steep for 10 minutes. Strain, discarding ginger. Cool.

Just before serving, transfer to a pitcher; stir in soda and lemon juice. Serve immediately. Yields 10 servings.