I don’t often share drink recipes over here, and I’m not really sure why. I love coming up with drink recipes, it’s just as fun as cooking and baking, and it’s definitely an art and a skill I’m always trying to master. Recently, we received a SodaStream as a gift to replace all the bottles of soda and seltzer we were always schlepping home. After sampling almost every flavor of soda syrup and not being impressed, I wondered if I could make my own syrups. I love ginger-ale and sprite and wanted to use those two sodas as inspiration. I boiled a batch of lemon ginger simple syrup and let it chill in the fridge for a few hours. Then I mixed a few tablespoons of my syrup with the soda water, poured it over ice and enjoyed my fresh glass of lemon ginger soda. Yum!
I could have just stopped there and been a happy camper, but then I thought of my husband and his favorite drink, the whisky sour. I wondered what would happen if I added some Kentucky straight bourbon whisky to the lemon ginger soda. Success! It was more of a whisky sour soda than just a straight cocktail, but my husband polished it off and I knew I had created something exciting and delicious.
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1½ cups water
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice
- ⅓ cup (2 oz.) fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- zest of one lemon
- 4 ounces lemon ginger simple syrup
- 1 ounce Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky
- 4 ounces soda water
- Combine the sugar, water, lemon juice, ginger, and lemon zest in a small pot. Heat over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Turn off the heat and allow the ginger and lemon zest to steep for 10-15 minutes. Strain the syrup and allow to cool in the fridge.
- Fill a glass with ice. Pour the simple syrup and whisky over the ice. Top off with the soda water and enjoy!
This is my favorite drink too!! The only issue I have had is getting it as gingery as I like and have found that instead of adding the ginger into the simple syrup I need to make a concentrate from raw ginger, both are so good though.
I really need to play with my new sodastream as well. I haven’t been in to any of the syrups, but I’m eager to try my own. I love this lemon ginger whiskey idea. I don’t drink whiskey enough.
I agree completely about the soda stream pre-made stuff. Yours sound much better, alcohol added or not.
This sounds very delicious!