New York City in July is a special kind of horror show. I’ve lived here since I was eight years old, and can tell you with certainty that the worst heat waves are always this month–and we’re in the throes of one now. On these enraging days, the city buses spew extra-hot exhaust onto your ankles as they motor by, you’re sticky and sweaty minutes after showering in the morning (and well before leaving the house), and the refrigerator can’t quite keep up with the task at hand. When it’s like this, I keep the milk in the freezer, send my kids to camp with frozen grapes in their thermoses, and feed them smoothies for dinner. I also make gigantic batches of concentrated ginger “tea,” which is nothing more than fresh ginger that’s been simmered in water with lemon, lime, honey, and water. It is inspired by the Ginger Citrus Tea served at Balthazar Bakery and is pretty much the most refreshing, hydrating, cooling beverage I’ve ever had. I think these are the ingredients they use, though my version is much less sweet. Here’s what you do: Wash, but don’t peel, as much ginger as you want or have. I started with five or six “hands” of ginger for the batch I made this weekend, which yielded about four quarts of concentrate. Grate the ginger on the large holes of a box grater, or use the shredder attachment of a food processor (I was already sweating plenty, so I used my Cuisinart). Put the ginger in a pot and cover it with five or six times as much water. Eyeball it–these are loose numbers, people. Cut a couple of lemons and a couple of limes into quarters, squeeze the juice into the pot, and toss in the fruit itself. Have an orange? Toss it in, too. Add honey–a spoonful for each piece of ginger (you can always add more later)–and a pinch of salt. Bring it up to a simmer and let it bubble for about 30 minutes, or until it tastes spicy and ginger-y, looks cloudy, and is concentrated to your liking. Strain the mixture, pressing hard to extract every last bit of liquid from the solids, and add more honey or maple syrup, if you like. Then put it into containers and chill. This mixture should be fairly concentrated–too spicy to drink on its own. When you’re thirsty, fill a glass with ice, add the ginger concentrate and enough water or sparkling water to dilute to your liking ( my last batch needed to be cut 50/50) and sweeten if needed with agave, simple syrup, or maple syrup, which will dissolve when chilled. Squeeze in more lemon or lime. Or don’t. I knew it was a heat wave when my 4-year-old asked for the “ginger ice juice.” If it’s sweltering where you are, drink up. bonappetit/test-kitchen/cooking-tips/article/refreshing-summer-ginger-drink-that-doesn-t-require-a-recipe
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 15:55:27 +0000
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