Ginger Lemon Tea

seeded from: itself
budded from: itself

Hi mei-mei, I don't know if this is the recipe I sent you last time, but I keep having to write this down for others, so I'm creating a post for it.  I took the pictures in 2011, but never got around to posting this.  Sorry!

6 cups water
1/2 cup fresh ginger slices (~3" piece of ginger root, sliced thin)
1/2 cup honey
3-4 lemons, juiced

1. Bring water and ginger to a boil in a pot, then lower heat to a simmer and cover for half an hour.  Sometimes I just turn of the stove and let it steep if I'm going out, as it just makes it even stronger (might be all in my head).
2. Add honey and stir until dissolved.  I've also used a mixture of honey and sugar before, as well as steeping lemon peels at this point. It's all to taste, but you want something strong and sweet, as it's a bit like a simple syrup.  Now that I'm typing this up, steeping some lavender kind of sounds nice, too.
3. Add lemon juice and pour into a container.  
4. To serve: half cup of the syrup, and half of water/wine/club soda. 

In the winter, I like this drink hot; In the summer, I like it cold and carbonated.  But it's a great base for lots of different drinks!  Tip: if I find good and young ginger, I tend to slice it and freeze in small bags so I can make this whenever I get the urge.