The other day I was over at my mom’s house and she asked what she should do with the leftover ginger she had from another recipe and I immediately told her MAKE A GINGER SYRUP. That’s always what I do or I throw ginger into a fresh juice concoction. 
If you have a few rogue plums lying around you can make a Plum Ginger syrup with those!
And then you can make a refreshing drink with the beautiful tangy sweet magenta syrup. Sparkling water, lemon juice and gin (my favorite!) pair nicely with plum ginger syrup, you’re gonna want to make sure you always have leftover ginger in your house.
And we’re off!
The lemons are for later btw!
Sugar, plums and fresh grated ginger go into a pot. Water is added. Mixture is boiled.
If you are looking for a ginger grater, I highly recommend this Ginger Grater. It’s fab.
Then you let it sit until it cools off. We’re steeping the ginger this way!
Now we strain into a jar. I made a mess…try taking a picture while you’re doing it!
YOU WILL SEE WHAT I MEAN.
Now we gather our ingredients to make a cocktail! It’s perfectly fine without booze but you know….BOOZE is BOOZE. Lemons and sliced plums enter the picture. If I had crystalized ginger, I would have poked a piece on a fancy toothpick with a plum to make it extra pretty but you know…imaginations are cool.
I used highball glasses for this endeavor which is totally cool if you want a more diluted drink.
If you want it more concentrated and super plum-my (plummy?) use a shorty glass.
Gin goes in after we put down our plum ginger base. Lemon juice is next.
Sparkling water on top!
Plum garnish.
Pretty bottoms.
Looking mighty fine and totally refreshing.
Now go ahead and stir it up!
Plum Ginger Coolers
makes 8 drinks
recipe slightly adapted from Everyday Food Magazine
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 plums, cut into 1/2 inch wedges, divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 1/3 cup lemon juice (from 3 lemons)
- 12 oz. gin
- sparkling water
In a small saucepan, bring sugar, 2 plums, ginger and 1 cup of water to a boil and cook 3 minutes. Let cool completely. Strain syrup through a fine-mesh strainer. Set aside.
Fill eight glasses with ice. To each, add 3-4 tablespoons syrup, 2 teaspoons lemon juice and 1 1/2 oz. gin. Divide remaining uncooked plum among glasses. Top each glass with sparkling water and serve.
