Blueberry Ginger Cooler
Apr 13, 2016, Updated Jan 02, 2018
Blueberry ginger sugar syrup combines with lemon lime sparkling water in this refreshing non-alcoholic blueberry ginger cooler!
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Refreshing Blueberry Ginger Cooler to beat the heat! Blueberry ginger syrup with lemon lime soda is just the perfect drink for hot days!
Are you feeling the heat? Well maybe not here in US, but back in India, temperatures are already 100 F degrees + and trust me it’s just the beginning. Everyone has started going crazy with the heat and the sad thing is that it only get worse. When I was in school, there were no air conditioners and all and we used to go to school and sit in that heat everyday. Sometimes we won’t even have the fan but we didn’t really care. If you tell me now to sit through 115 F weather without a fan, I would probably go crazy but back then it didn’t matter. We were so used to the heat in Delhi plus as a child your focus is always on talking to friends and playing around, who really cares about hot it is! Crazy how things have changed now, of course Delhi’s weather hasn’t changed, still super hot in summers but now I see all these schools have air conditioner and stuff. Good for the kids, I guess!
Because it’s getting hot, I thought of sharing a drink recipe with you guys. During summers, my mom always made us drinks like mango shake and cold coffee and those refreshing drinks kept us going. This refreshing blueberry ginger cooler will not only give you respite from the heat but is also a great drink to serve at your spring/summer parties. It’s basically blueberry ginger sugar syrup combined with lemon lime sparkling water. Really refreshing! You can make changes to this recipe as per your taste and liking.
*First, obviously adjust the sugar to taste. My blueberries weren’t really sweet so I ended up adding more sugar than I would have initially anticipated.
* I have used lemon-lime sparkling water here and would recommend the same. However if you want to use plain sparkling water, do add some lemon juice to your blueberry sugar syrup, juice of 1 lemon should be good enough.
* You add the sparkling water to this drink only when you are about to serve it. Now how much sparkling water you want to add is a personal preference. I am not very fond of soda, so I fill my glass 2/3rd or 3/4th with the blueberry-ginger sugar syrup and then add the sparkling water to it. If you love the fizz, you may even do half syrup and half sparkling water.
* I used unsweetened lemon lime sparkling water here, you may use lemon lime soda like Sprite in place. But if you are using sprite, cut down or do not use any sugar in the blueberry ginger syrup.
You can make the syrup well in advance keep it chilled. When it’s time to serve simply pour into glasses, top with soda, ice cubes and serve with some fresh mint leaves. This is a great drink to serve at your spring/summer parties!
Method
To a pan on medium-high heat add water, blueberries and grated ginger. Let it all come to a boil.
Once the mixture starts boiling, add sugar and mix till it dissolves.
Now lower the heat and using the back of your spatula, mash the blueberries. Mash all of it and let the mixture simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and once the syrup has cooled down, cover it with a cling sheet and let it sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours. This is important so that the flavors mix-in well.
After 2-3 hours, strain the syrup into a clear bowl. At this point you can cover and keep it referigerated until ready to use.
To serve the blueberry ginger cooler, fill 2/3 of the glass with the syrup, add ice cubes.
And then add lemon-lime sparkling water on top and stir.
Garnish with some fresh blueberries and mint leaves and enjoy!
* You would probably not need more than 2-3 cans [of 12 oz each] for lemon-lime sparkling water for this recipe. Like I said, I only fill 1/4th of my glass with sparkling water so for me 2 cans are good enough for this entire recipe. You may need extra cans as per your preference.
* You can add more ginger if you want a stronger ginger flavor.
* The 3 hours prep time is actually the time when you let the syrup sit so that all the flavors can steep in and mix well together.
Blueberry Ginger Cooler
Ingredients
- 1 liter water
- 1.25 cups fresh blueberries
- 1 heaping tablespoon grated ginger
- 4-5 tablespoons sugar or adjust to taste
To serve
- 2-3 cans of lemon lime sparkling water unsweetened
- ice cubes
- mint leaves
Instructions
- To a pan on medium-high heat add water, blueberries and grated ginger. Let it all come to a boil.
- Once the mixture starts boiling, add sugar and mix till it dissolves.
- Now lower the heat and using the back of your spatula, mash the blueberries. Mash all of it and let the mixture simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and once the syrup has cooled down, cover it with a cling sheet and let it sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours. This is important so that the flavors mix-in well.
- After 2-3 hours, strain the syrup into a clear bowl. At this point you can cover and keep it refrigerate until ready to use.
- To serve the blueberry ginger cooler, fill 2/3 of the glass with the syrup, add ice cubes.
- And then add lemon-lime sparkling water on top and stir so that the soda and syrup combine well.
- Garnish with some fresh blueberries and mint leaves and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Blueberry Ginger Cooler