Bottled Drinks Recipe
Make Bottled Drinks Recipe in just 45m. Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
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Ingredients
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Syrup
Bottling & Finish
Method
Syrup
- 1
Combine and dissolve sugar
In a medium saucepan, combine 1.5 cups granulated sugar, 1.5 cups water, 1 cup sliced fresh ginger, and 3 tablespoons lemon zest. Stir to combine.
- 2
Simmer
Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 8–10 minutes to extract ginger flavor and reduce slightly.
- 3
Steep
Remove the pan from the heat and let the syrup steep with the ginger and zest for 20–30 minutes to deepen flavor.
- 4
Finish syrup
After steeping, stir in 1 cup fresh lemon juice and 1/8 tsp kosher salt. Taste and adjust: if you want brighter lemon flavor, add up to 2 tbs more lemon juice. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl or measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract liquid. Discard solids.
- 5
Cool and chill
Let the strained syrup cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until fully chilled (at least 30–45 minutes). You should end up with roughly 500–700 ml syrup; this recipe is formulated to provide about 500 ml for the mixing ratio below.
Bottling & Finish
- 6
Sterilize bottles and caps
Wash bottles and caps in hot soapy water. Place them upright in a large pot, cover with water, bring to a rolling boil and boil for 10 minutes to sterilize. Alternatively, run through a very hot dishwasher cycle. Use tongs to remove and place upside down on a clean kitchen towel; keep them hot until filling to minimize contamination.
- 7
Chill sparkling water
Ensure the 2500 ml chilled sparkling water is very cold (keep in fridge until ready). Cold liquid holds carbonation better when mixing and bottling.
- 8
Mix syrup and sparkling water
Measure 500 ml of the chilled lemon-ginger syrup. In a large, chilled pitcher, gently combine the 500 ml syrup with 2500 ml chilled sparkling water for a 1:5 syrup-to-water ratio. Stir slowly with a long spoon in a lifting motion to preserve as much carbonation as possible. Taste and adjust — for a sweeter/stronger drink, add up to 50 ml more syrup distributed evenly across bottles.
- 9
Prepare optional garnish
If using garnish, place 1 lemon slice and/or 1 mint sprig into each sterilized bottle. Adding fragile garnishes can reduce shelf life slightly but improves presentation.
- 10
Fill bottles
Using a sanitized funnel, pour the mixed drink into each hot, sterilized 500 ml bottle, leaving about 1–2 cm (0.5–1 in) headspace at the top to accommodate expansion. Fill steadily to minimize loss of carbonation.
- 11
Cap and cool
Cap bottles tightly with sterilized caps. Let the bottled drinks rest at room temperature for 10–15 minutes to ensure caps seal, then refrigerate immediately to preserve carbonation. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving; ideally 4+ hours.
- 12
Storage and serving
Keep refrigerated and consume within 5–7 days for best flavor and safety. Serve cold; open carefully to release carbonation slowly. If bottles were filled to within 1–2 cm headspace and kept chilled, carbonation should remain pleasant. Shake gently before opening only if you want a frothier drink (not recommended if fully carbonated).
