Haymakers Punch - Lemon and Ginger Swytchel
I love that no and low-alcohol drinks are continuing to grow in popularity, but I am struggling to find one that ticks all my boxes. Is it too much to ask for a drink that :
1. Is full of flavour and doesn’t taste artificial
2. Is low in sugar and doesn’t have that sweetener tang
3. Is Affordable
4. Has the ritual and feel of an alcoholic drink?
I have tried lots of gin and rum replacements, mocktails in cans and fancy cordials but none have got it right for me. Some do get the flavour right, but I just can’t bring myself to pay £35 for fake gin (If I’m avoiding alcohol I want the cost-benefit as well!). Some are cheaper but don’t always taste very nice, while others are really sugary or artificially sweetened, which isn’t necessarily bad, I just don’t always love that sweetener taste.
So when my mother-in-law passed on her lemon and ginger swytchel recipe to me I was so excited to try it – and it is such a winner, I’ve been hooked ever since!
This is the perfect non-alcoholic option for me:
· It’s super flavoursome, you get a real kick of ginger and lemon
· It’s sweetened with a small amount of honey which brings another layer of flavour rather than pure sweetness/artificial sweetness
· It’s easy and cheap to make from three simple ingredients that you can get at any corner shop
· Bonus points for being fun to make and looking and feeling like a fancy drink! It’s all about ice and slice, and a nice glass!
Ingredients
2 lemons (organic if possible as we use the zest)
6cm of ginger, cut lengthways into 5 long slices, no need to peel.
2 Tbsp Honey
1 Cup/250ml of water
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Method
Wash your lemons with water and dry well with a tea towel. Zest and juice the lemons and put into a saucepan. Add the ginger, honey and water.
Gently bring just to boiling point over a low heat. Once it hits boiling turn off the heat let it sit for three hours for the flavour to develop.
Starin through a fine sieve or muslin. Add the vinegar and store in the fridge.
Serve as you would gin - one shot with soda/sparkling/tonic water, ice and slice of lemon or ginger and some mint or rosemary. Paper umbrella is optional. My personal favourite is mint and cucumber slices.
Slainte!
