 | | | Ginger-Mint Green Lemonade Photo Susie Iventosch | | | | | | My daughter and I love this particular takeout restaurant in New York City called Ilili Box. It's located in the City Kitchen, an upstairs eatery with about eight food stalls, situated right near Times Square. Ilili Box serves the most amazing caramelized Brussels sprouts with sweet fig jam, mint yogurt and walnuts. Ever since my Brussels sprout enlightenment, I make it a priority to eat there every time I visit my daughter. Last time we had lunch there, the server asked if we wanted the green lemonade to accompany our sprouts. I politely declined, as I am not the biggest lemonade fan. But, he insisted and gave us the meal deal, which included the drink. It was fabulous, and, in fact, I went back up for a second round of their green lemonade because it was so refreshing and delicious. He gave me a general idea of what goes into this drink, but I was left on my own to figure it out exactly. This rendition is very close to what we enjoyed and I hope you enjoy it too. After tasting it again with my son, we decided it would make a marvelous summertime cocktail with a shot of gin or vodka added for fun!
Ginger-Mint Green Lemonade
(Makes approximately 5 cups or 4 servings)
INGREDIENTS
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) golden light blue agave
4 cups water
20 mint leaves
4 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
3/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon/lime juice
Garnishes: sprigs of mint, lemon slices and optional cucumber slices
DIRECTIONS
Place the first four ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for about one minute and remove from heat. Allow to steep for about an hour. Pour through a strainer to eliminate the ginger and mint remnants, while pressing down on the solids to squeeze as much liquid from the ginger and mint as possible.
Add lemon/lime juice (I used 1/2 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup lime juice) and mix well. Pour over ice and garnish with a sprig of mint, a slice of lemon and an optional slice of cucumber. |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA