Life was being stingy, I had to pay for mine...

About this time of year, we all could use a little bit of refreshment.  Now you could try this, or if that didn't work there is always this, but I prefer to drown my tonsils in lemonade.  It's pretty easy to do and it  takes under twenty minutes. so give it a go and you'll be making your own versions in no time.

you could just use your hands for the squeezing, but I prefer to employ some sort of press here.  it's way more efficient at getting out all of that lemon sauce and they're relatively inexpensive.

this is just a picture of lemon bodies...and some ginger skin...

I like to peel my lemons (being careful to only get the yellow, outer later and not the bitter white parts) with a veg peeler and steep them in the simple syrup along with the grated ginger and the mint sprigs.  It's important to use the stems of the mint because they also have a lot of concentrated flavor in them.  After a good ten or so minutes of steeping, the syrup is ready to strain and be combined with your lemon juice and cold water.  it's great just like this, but if you're feeling sprightly, it makes for a great mixer.  

I like to garnish the finished product with a sprig of mint and a lemon wedge. Think of it as dressing up your drink, but not too much. business casual beverage wear.

Ginger Mint Lemonade

5 lemons (juiced and peeled)

1.25 c sugar (I used sugar in the raw)

1.25c water

1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated

1 handful fresh mint (stems and all), reserving a few leaves for garnish

1 cup of ice

additional 1 quart of cold water

first we make the syrup:

peel the zest from your lemons, set aside.  cut lemons in half and squeeze juice into a bowl, set aside juice. peel your ginger and grate it.  now, in a saucepan over med-low heat add the sugar, the 1.25c water, lemon zest, ginger, and most of the mint. stir until sugar is dissolved, kill the heat and let steep for about 10 minutes.  strain the syrup into a bowl and add the ice to cool it down.  once it has cooled, combine with the lemon juice and the quart of water.  stir, pour, garnish, and guzzle.  

DISH recommends: microplane zester.  Use this thing all the time.  indispensable in the kitch.