Dinner Parties and Drinks. Lime, Grapefruit and Ginger Juice, anyone?

image

 Summer dinners, the warm, soft glow of the sunset light. Best friends. Laughter. Long tables. Candles. Mis-matched china.  Linen napkins. Wildflowers in colored glass jars. 

 

This photo encapsulates so many things I love about dinner get-togethers.

 

Drinks (or 'libaaaations', said with a snooty English accent like my pilot friends used to say when poking fun at the way some of our more..ahem..self-aggrandized clients would say it) are always an easy way to add personal touch, regional flair, sophistication, or even to create a theme.

This drink might be better for a breakfast party, but I think drinks with a kick are good anytime. The Lime, Grapefruit, Ginger juice is good if you're looking for something bright, invigorating, spicy and citrusy. 

It's a pick-me-up minus the caffeine. You steep grated ginger in a bit of sugared water, and then strain it into a lime & grapefruit juice blend. I like to sip it out of a tiny cordial glass with a big ice cube or mix it with sparkling water as an afternoon refresher. It has a good amount of kick, and you can feel it going down - in a good way.

images and recipe

Lime, Grapefruit and Ginger Juice

This juice is quite strong - but invigorating! You can make it more/less sweet, to your tastes. And you can mix it with more/less water sparkling water, also to taste. You can also double the recipe if you need to use up more citrus. The juice freezes well in baggies or ice cube trays. I typically use ruby red grapefruits here.

3 tablespoons natural cane sugar
2 tablespoons ginger, peeled then grated
1 cup / 240 ml water
very scant 1/2 cup / 95 ml fresh lime juice - 2 juicy limes
1 1/3 cups / 310 ml fresh grapefruit juice - 2 juicy grapefruits

In a small saucepan, over medium heat, stir together the sugar, ginger, and water. Simmer for 5 minutes, transfer to a glass bowl or cup, and place in the freezer for a few minutes to cool.

Strain the ginger into a pitcher along with the lime and grapefruit juices. You can either strain the citrus juices or leave them pulpy, just be sure to catch any seeds before they go in. Stir and taste, if you want a bit more sugar, go for it, but I find this plenty sweet. Serve straight in a tiny chilled glass with ice. Or use a splash to freshen up a glass of sparkling water.

Makes about 2 cups / 1 pint.