Vodka Ginger Lemonade

The first thing you'll notice is the lemon's mellow tartness, then sweetness before the low gingery heat settles in. All that excitement in one sip. Prep: 10 minutes; Cook: 6 minutes; Stand: 15 minutes.

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1  cup  water
• 1  cup  sugar
• 2  teaspoons  ground ginger
• 1  (750-milliliter) bottle sparkling water
• 1/2  cup  lemon juice
• 1 1/4  cups  vodka
• Garnish: candied ginger

Preparation

1. Bring 1 cup water, sugar, and ginger to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir constantly about 1 minute or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.

2. Pour sparkling water, lemon juice, vodka, and 1 cup of the ginger simple syrup over ice in a large pitcher; stir gently. Garnish, if desired, and serve immediately.

Serve It in Style: For an eye-catching addition to your table, serve your drinks in a samovar. Traditionally used to heat water for Russian tea, samovars can be used for cold drinks, too. Diamond Cut Samovar, suggested retail $410, by GO Home Ltd.; e-mail info@gohomeltd.com for retailers.