Herby Sparkling Ginger Lemonade

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of water

• ⅔ cup of honey 

• Fresh thyme

• Finely chopped fresh ginger 

• Lemon zest

• ¾ cup of lemon juice

• 2 liters plain sparkling water 

Directions:

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, add water, honey, a few sprigs of thyme and the chopped ginger. 

2. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat and continue cooking for around 5 minutes. 

3. Remove from heat and then add the lemon zest and lemon juice.

4. Let the mixture sit and steep for around 20 minutes.

5. Once it has cooled down, strain the mixture through a fine sieve and discard the sediments.  

6. Refrigerate the mixture until ready to serve.

7. To serve, fill the glass half full with sparkling water and then add some of the lemon mixture to taste. 

8. Add some ice cubes and garnish with a couple sprigs of thyme or some lemon wheels or slices.

Optional:

• The recipe can always be altered to suit your taste. Feel free to add or decrease any of the ingredients to make it stronger, sweeter, or more herby. 

• Experimenting with different herbs is also encouraged. Swap out thyme for other herbs that you may prefer such as mint, lavender, or rosemary.  

• You could swap lemons for limes to make limeade instead as well.

• To add an extra layer of flavor you may opt to use flavored sparkling water instead of plain. Sparkling water comes in many flavors which makes the possibilities quite endless. You’ll never be bored when using this recipe as a guide.

• If you would like to transform this into a cocktail just add some gin or vodka.

• Honey can also be substituted for other sweeteners such as maple syrup, coconut sugar, stevia, agave nectar, etc. 

• The reduced lemon mixture will last up to 5 days if stored properly in the refrigerator.