Lemongrass Summer Spritzer

Warm summer nights call for drinks on the patio outside. We’ve been feeling inspired by the freshness of ingredients like mint from the herb garden and one of our favourite refreshing go-tos: lemongrass.

Nutritionally, lemongrass is a good source of vitamin A and C, folic acid, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, potassium, calcium and manganese. Lemongrass oil boasts a number of other benefits, such as being a natural astringent and antibacterial. We are especially keen on it right now as it helps to cool you down.

Here’s a recipe for a cooling Lemongrass Summer Spritzer with ginger, mint and lemon to enjoy on a hot day - not to mention how beautiful and Instagrammable it is!

What You'll Need:

• 1 lemon
• A bundle of fresh mint
• 2 stalks of fresh lemongrass
• 3 tbsp of sugar (can also sub for honey or another sweetener)
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
• 2 cups of sparkling water
• ice

Directions:

1. Cut the lemongrass stalks in half, saving the top halves as stir sticks for your drink.
   
   
2. Chop up bottom halves into fine pieces and place in a small saucepan with sliced ginger and sweetener. Simmer for 5-10 minutes to bring out the flavours. If you are tight for time, combine ingredients and microwave for 1 minute instead.
   Bonus: It will make your house smell great too!
   
   
3. Allow lemongrass ginger syrup to cool and then pour 1-2 tbsp in each glass along with a few leaves of mint and slices of lemon.
   
   
4. Add carbonated sparkling water and ice.

Makes 2-3 servings.