Basil Ginger Lemonade

Hello again- I know it's been a while, but I hope this amazing lemonade will make up for it! Last month I was lucky enough to spend a couple of weeks in Panama and what an amazing place it was—beauty everywhere, and some seriously friendly locals. Although the food is very good and very fresh, we didn't eat a whole lot. A plate of eggs in the morning, as many pineapple and banana batidos as it took to get through the sweltering heat, and if we were lucky (and had the energy) we would finish the day with fish tacos. My culinary highpoint was the lemonade that we found in a few expat cafes. Seems a bit strange- but it was no ordinary lemonade; fresh squeezed lemons mixed with things like basil, ginger, coconut, and rosewater. Seeing as it was too hot to eat much (as it is right now), these exotic lemonades were the perfect remedy.

Upon my return I recreated a basil-ginger combination and was not disappointed. Try it, it's easy, nutritious and will keep you cool and happy.

BASIL GINGER LEMONADE

makes 1 pitcher

6-8 lemons

6 cups cold water

2 large bunches of basil

Ginger Simple Syrup 

Ginger Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

fresh ginger, peeled and cut into three 1" pieces

Make the simple syrup first; put the sugar into a saucepan with the water and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer, add the ginger, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Take off heat and cool to room temperature and store in a jar in the refrigerator. 

Once the simple syrup is cool, remove the stems from the basil and puree the leaves in a food processor. Juice your lemons, strain out any seeds and combine the juice with the basil and cold water in a large pitcher. Add the simple syrup to taste. Enjoy!