I lost track of time rewatching Country Time Lemonade commercials. Nostalgia is real.
So’s the number of lemonade recipes in Jerry Thomas’ Bartenders Guide.
I went digging for possible reasons why. Who knew I’d find someone with a pandemic activity that was almost cooler than mine (It’d be too off-topic. But trust me. Skillz were developed.).
If you don’t already know about Tasting History with Max Miller, consider starting with The Sweet History of Lemonade. Among other findings, I learned a possible reason why Thomas’ Plain Lemonade recipe isn’t plain at all with its hints of orange and raspberry.
But I didn’t go “plain” for this post. Obsessed with making an undeniable ginger ale, I had to go with Thomas’ Saratoga Cooler.
Using Cheryl Charming’s ginger syrup – with double the ginger – and Epicurious’ assembly instructions for their ginger ale, I decided I had a winner before my first sip of the Saratoga. But did I?
Saratoga Cooler by Jerry Thomas
- Ginger ale
- Lemon
- Powdered sugar
Equipment: citrus press, bar spoon
Me: Not too tart. Not too sweet. I couldn’t taste the ginger, but this bev left a warm-ish feeling in mouth that had to have been from the ginger’s heat. The carbonation wasn’t too much. I was pretty much over mainstream lemonade (and even lemon-lime soda) after trying this.
GJ: Sweet, tart, but well-balanced. There was a hint of ginger, but its spice only hit the back of my throat along with the carbonation. Very refreshing.
Another Round? Yep. This one’s a daily for both of us. But having tried “my” ginger syrup on its own, we might want a little more in future coolers.