How to make lemonade sweet, sour and spicy

The allure of lemonade is in its balance between sweet and tart, but since I can’t leave well enough alone, I’m always tweaking it by introducing a third flavor. Lately, I’ve been loving the addition of heat, especially in the form of a spicy ginger syrup.

The kick from homemade fresh ginger syrup amps up the addictive quality of this warm weather beverage. It’s that sweet-sour combination that comes through first, while the heat settles in at the end of the gulp.

You know that sensation you have while you’re eating spicy food, when one bite makes you immediately want to take another? Replace “bite” with “sip” and that describes the experience of drinking this lemonade.

The ginger pieces left from making the syrup make for a delightfully spicy, slightly sweet snack. Store them in the fridge to eat throughout the week or add them to your favorite muffin recipe.

Sarah Crowder is a writer for TheKitchn.com, a website for food and home cooking.

This story was originally published June 24, 2014 at 12:40 PM with the headline "How to make lemonade sweet, sour and spicy."