This easy lemon ginger shot is made with fresh ginger and lemons. Add a little cayenne pepper for a wellness shot with an extra kick!
I love wellness shots.
The side of me that embraces home ferments (like homemade kombucha, milk kefir, and water kefir) also leaps up and down in excitement over these lemon ginger shots.
Even though I'm kind of a sucker for cute little cafes that sell on-tap kombucha, jun tea, and wellness shots, there aren't any cafes like that where I live!
Not a single one.
But it's okay, because when you learn to make your own delicious drinks, you can drink them whenever you want!
And these lemon ginger shots are among my favorite homemade wellness shots. They're made with fresh ginger, lemon, and apple juice (or honey), and if you want, add a dash of cayenne to make them spicy.
What Do Lemon Ginger Shots Taste Like?
Get this...
They taste like lemon and ginger!
Ginger shots are basically an extra-concentrated version of ginger tea.
Sometimes ginger shots aren't the most pleasant things to drink. Instead of sipping them, you drink them quickly. It's also why they're small.
BUT.
I prefer a slightly sweeter (and less bitter) wellness shot, so this recipe uses apple juice or honey to sweeten the shots. If you prefer zero sugar, you can skip the sweetener.
If you want to try ginger shots before you make them at home, or if you already know you love them and want a version you can pack in a bag to sip on a germy airplane, I like the Ginger People's ginger wellness shots.
Why Drink Lemon Ginger Shots?
Ginger is packed with healthy antioxidants and is known to be an anti-inflammatory.
For me, the most important reason to drink ginger shots is that ginger is thought to help boost the immune system.
Boosting my immune system matters to me because cold and flu season seems to be getting longer and longer each winter.
Yuck. Major yuck.
Give me all the ginger!
Why Add Cayenne?
Cayenne also has health benefits. It's an anti-inflammatory, a pain reliever, and more!
That said, if you're using cayenne in this recipe, you're only adding a tiny amount. So add it because you like the flavor and heat, otherwise skip it.
How to Make Lemon Ginger Shots
Start by dicing up some fresh ginger.
You don't need to peel it first.
Add the ginger to a large pot with eight cups of water.
Cut two lemons in half, juice them, and add both the juice and the lemon halves to the pot.
If you want to add cayenne, do it now.
Bring the water to a boil, and simmer for about 45 minutes until half the liquid is gone.
Strain the ginger and lemon out of the pot, and add the juice or honey.
Pour this large batch into a glass container, and serve it in small 2-ounce servings. Sip and enjoy your lemon ginger shot!
Lemon Ginger Shot
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces ginger root organic preferred
- 2 lemons organic preferred
- 8 cups water
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 cup apple juice (or more to taste), optional
- ⅛ cup honey, optional
Instructions
- Roughly chop the ginger root.
- Juice the lemons, reserving both the lemon and the juice.
- Add 8 cups of water to a large pot. Add the ginger root, lemon juice, and lemon halves. Add the cayenne if using.
- Bring to a boil, and then simmer for about 45 minutes.
- Strain the ginger tea through a mesh sieve, reserving the tea and discarding the ginger and lemon halves.
- You should have about 4 cups of liquid left. If you have less, add filtered water until you have 4 cups.
- Add the apple juice and/or the honey. If using honey, stir to dissolve. Taste, and add more juice or honey if desired.Tip: Fresh ginger tea can be quite bitter. I recommend adding at least a small amount of juice or honey.
- Serve as 1-ounce shots or mix into sparkling water.Refrigerate and use within 2 weeks.
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