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.
Notes
Yields: 4 cups (without juice) or 5 cups (with juice). Makes 32 - 40 one-ounce servings.Nutrition Info: The ginger root is not included in the nutrition information, since the root is strained out of the tea before serving.