Recipe
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Ingredients (Makes 1.5 Litres):
- 1 Medium-sized lemon
- 1-2 Fingers of young ginger
- ½ Large English or Japanese Cucumber
- 10-15 Leaves of fresh mint (3-4 sprigs)
- 4-5 Large ice cubes
- Top-up with Filtered/Fresh water
Pull mint leaves from the sprig and smack with your hands to activate the oils in the mint, this helps the flavour of the drink to have a fresh minty taste! Add the activated mint to the jar.
Slice the cucumber into thin discs, and add to the jar. This aids the hydrational qualities of the drink, and ensures it remains fresh.
Wash the ginger well to ensure there are no traces of soil. If hand-picked from the garden then slice or cut the ginger leaves from the top of the rhizome (the ginger leaves hold a quite potent aroma of ginger, and can be set aside and dried to make a flavourful ginger tea!)
Slice each root into thick chunks to release the ginger aroma and ensure that it will seep into the drink once left to steep. Add the ginger to the glass jar.
Cut the ends off the lemon, and squeeze the juice into the jar. Slice the remainder of the lemon into medium-thickness, and add these to the jar. Lemon adds real zing to the drink as well as strong antioxidant and medicinal properties.
Now add 4-5 large ice-cubes to the jar and top-up with filtered or fresh water. Once the jar is full close the top, and ensure that the ingredients are mixed well. Place the mixed drink into the fridge and allow it to steep overnight for best results.
Background
You need a big sealable glass jug for this drink – to ensure maximum freshness.
Depending on the size of the lemon, I’ll favour more mint to balance out the flavour; you may also want to throw in a sliced lime (or just the juice) to sweeten the taste from the zestiness of the lemon, and spiciness of the ginger.
The cucumber is really just there for hydration, I’ve made the drink without it before, and it remains tasty – so this is the least significant component.
Also if you want it to be really refreshing it is best to put ice cubes in but this isn’t mandatory and you’ll still have a fantastic beverage without it.
Finally, a critical step is the steep. This is best enjoyed when steeped over night to maximise the flavour profile. As the ingredients are pretty strong you can top up with water a few times before it will lose its potency.
Enjoy!
Lemon & Ginger FAQs
Can I grow my own ginger?
Yes - and it is very simple to do.
See our easy guide for growing ginger from the rhizome; including when to harvest.
Is ginger an antioxidant?
Yes. Ginger is a potent antioxidant.
The rich phytochemistry of ginger includes components that scavenge free radicals produced in biological systems. The anti-oxidative properties of ginger and its components have been explored in various in vitro and in vivo tests. 6-Shogaol has exhibited the most potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in ginger, which can be attributed to the presence of alpha, beta-unsaturated ketone moiety.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3665023/
Is ginger an anti-inflammatory?
Yes. Ginger contains powerful anti-inflammatory properties.
Many studies have been conducted evaluating the effectiveness of ginger in patients with osteoarthritis.
One study showed ginger extract to have a statistically significant effect on reducing symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee. In another study, the effect of ginger in osteoarthritis was significant only in the first period of treatment. In gout as a rheumatic disease of joints, 6-Shogaol has strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and can be used as a curative agent.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3665023/
