Taste of Cordova: Rhubarb Lemonade
As a lifelong Cordovan we all enjoy and cherish those hot summer days and we usually want a nice cold drink to pair with it and I usually turn to my garden for inspiration. This year my rhubarb has been growing like crazy and I have had more than I could bake with. A great way to process mass amounts of this beautiful vegetable is juicing! I recently received a steam juicer as a gift and perfect timing because its an easy way to juice lots of produce. Inspired by The House and Homestead I came up with this delicious and fun drink for those sunny summer days.
Ingredients:
6 cups of rhubarb concentrate (approx. 10-12 cups of roughly chopped rhubarb, fresh or frozen)
10 lemons or approx 1 1/2 cups juice
2 cups of sugar
3 cups of water
Rose gold/pink edible glitter for drinks
Directions:
There are a couple ways to make Rhubarb concentrate, I own a steam juicer and use that to juice my rhubarb, but you can also cook it on the stove.
-For the stove start by combining rhubarb, 8 lemons cut in quarters and water in a large stainless-steel pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until rhubarb is soft (about 15 minutes). Strain mixture with cheesecloth over a saucepan. Continue mashing to squeeze out as much juice as possible. Once you have extracted all the juice, discard the solids.
-For the steam juicer assemble the steamer according to the instructions. Fill the bottom pot with water and turn on high. Make sure the tubing is placed into a half gallon glass jar. To the top add rhubarb and 8 lemons cut into quarters into the top of your steamer and cover. Let boil for approx 45 minutes to 1 hour or until you have exhausted your juice supply. Add water to juice concentrate.
When you have your juice add in 2 cups of sugar and stir until dissolved.
In a pitcher add the rest of the lemons cut in the rounds to cooled juice.
When serving use a clear glass, add a dash of edible glitter, ice and then pour in rhubarb lemonade, mix, and add a wedge of lemon. Voila, enjoy!
For an adult version add one shot of your favorite liquor, I prefer tequila, gin, or vodka. Or for a mimosa style add your favorite bubbly.
