This Ginger Punch with fresh lemon and orange juice has the perfect balance of sweet and tart.
One of my favorite events to attend during the fall is the Fall Flavors Weekend at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI. Have you been before? My family loves going to Greenfield Village and the Fall Flavors event is one of our favorites. During the weekend, you can celebrate traditional American food, watch cooking demonstrations and stop at the Saturday Local Roots Farmers Market. It is so fun to see what foods were prepared throughout history. Walking around the village, you'll see cooking demonstrations of recipes that were made in traditional American homes throughout different time periods. From making apple cider from the apples on the farm to making sauerkraut to preserve for the winter months, it is a great way to learn about historical foods and recipes.
At one of the cooking demonstrations, they made a ginger punch to serve along side their dinner. When I heard ginger, I just had to recreate the recipe. The original recipe for Ginger Punch was first published in THE ORIGINAL BOSTON COOKING SCHOOL COOK BOOK, 1896. The original recipe called for 1 cup of sugar. That seemed like way too much sugar considering the recipe only called for 4 cups of water. When I tested the recipe, I halved the amount of sugar. I think that 1 cup of sugar would have been way too sweet unless you like super sweet drinks.
This Ginger Punch starts off by combing the ginger, water and sugar in a saucepan. The mixture needs to cook for 15 minutes, allowing for the ginger flavor to infuse into the water. The fresh lemon and orange juices are the perfect accompaniment to the punch. The flavor combination of the ginger, lemon and orange has the perfect balance of sweet and tart.
I love discovering old, traditional recipes like this Ginger Punch. If you are a ginger fan, try out this refreshing citrusy punch!
Ginger Punch
A refreshing punch with fresh ginger, fresh squeezed lemon and orange juice.
Ingredients
- ½ Pound Ginger, sliced {no need to peel}
- 4 Cups Cold Water
- ½ Cup Organic Cane Sugar
- ½ Cup Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
- ½ Cup Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
- Ice for serving
- Sliced orange and lemon for serving, optional
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan combine the ginger, water and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat then reduce to low. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the ginger water into a large pitcher. Let cool for a few minutes before adding the rest over the ingredients.
- Once slightly cooled, pour in the lemon juice, orange juice and stir. Add ice cubes and lemon and orange slices if using.
- Serve and enjoy.
Recipe inspired by Fall Flavors at Greenfield Village and adapted from THE ORIGINAL BOSTON COOKING SCHOOL COOK BOOK, 1896.
Xo Jeni
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