Ginger Lime Spritzers

Today we had a few friends over for a playdate at our house. This is the first one I've hosted for our group, so I was really excited. Unfortunately, of the seven original people who were going to come only two were able to make it, which was kind of a bummer. We did have fun though! It's so nice to have company, and those two little girls wore Bubba out.

One of the things I prepared was a ginger lime spritzer. I got the idea from Laurel at Orange and Salt. She makes these flavored simple syrups (which I guess means they're not that simple anymore) and serves them alongside seltzer or lemonade and a bottle of vodka. You get to choose how strong/sweet your drink is and how much, if any, booze you want. Obviously I didn't serve the booze at a playdate though. I'm not a total heathen. :) This is an awesome alternative to soda because it's all natural and has less sugar.

Ginger Lime Syrup

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh lime juice

zest of one lime

1/2 lb peeled fresh ginger, sliced thin

1 cup turbinado (raw) sugar

Directions:

Bring lime juice to a boil over medium-high heat. Add zest, sliced ginger, and sugar. Bring back to a boil and allow to cook for one minute, or until sugar is completely dissolved. Lower heat and simmer another two minutes.

Pour mixture into a blender and puree. Strain through a fine sieve and press pulp firmly to get as much juice and flavor out as possible with the back of a spoon. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

To serve, mix with seltzer water and ice. I like to put about 1/2 to 1" of syrup in the bottom of my glass, fill the glass 2/3 full with seltzer, then top off with ice. You can add more or less according to your taste. This would be great served with lemonade and/or vodka as well.

Bottoms up!

(PS - did you see? I got my 100,000th hit!!!)