Gingervodka Recipes

Steps:

• Bring the sugar, 1 cup water and ginger to a boil in a medium saucepan and cook until the sugar has melted. Transfer to a glass bowl or measuring cup, cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Put the juice, zest, 1/4 cup ginger simple syrup, ginger liqueur and vodka in a blender and blend until combined. Taste for sweetness, adding more simple syrup if needed. Add a few cups of ice and blend until slushy, adding more ice as needed. Serve in a pitcher.

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the sliced ginger with the water and sugar and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, then let the ginger syrup cool slightly. Transfer to a blender and puree. Strain the syrup into a large, shallow glass dish. Stir in the lemon zest and juice. Cover and freeze the lemon-ginger syrup until firm, at least 4 hours.
• Let the frozen lemon-ginger mixture stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Chop the mixture into large pieces. Put half of the pieces in a blender, add 4 cups of crushed ice and 1 cup of vodka and blend until slushy. Pour the vodka cocktail into 4 glasses, garnish each with a mint sprig and serve. Repeat with the remaining frozen lemon mixture, ice, vodka and mint sprigs. Serve at once.
• MAKE AHEAD The lemon-ginger mixture can be frozen for up to 1 week.
• NOTES
• Cooking Club Tip: Peel ginger's thin and delicate skin by scraping down the root with a metal teaspoon. A spoon maneuvers around the nubs more easily than a pairing knife.

Steps:

• Poke lemons with skewer or sticks to release flavor.
• Slice ginger into small slices.
• Place both into bottle or other appropriate container that has lid.
• Fill jar with vodka and let sit for 2 weeks.
• Strain and pour into decorative decanter or bottle.

Steps:

• Combine the vodka and ginger root in a clean container. (Reserve the vodka bottle for storing the infused vodka later.)
• Seal the container and store in a cool, dark place for 3 days, shaking occasionally. After 3 days, pour the vodka through a strainer and discard the ginger solids. Return the strained, infused vodka to its original bottle.
• Store infused vodka in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 1 month.

Steps:

• Place martini glasses in the freezer to frost.
• Fill chilled glass with ice, and pour in ginger liqueur. Allow liqueur to chill for one minute. Remove ice cubes, and pour in vodka. Garnish with crystallized ginger.