Good Food, Good Life, 365 – Bright and Bubbly Holiday Drink

Bright and Bubbly Holiday Drink

Simple Syrup
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
2-inch chunk of fresh ginger root, peeled, sliced thin
Place ingredients in a small pot and heat until sugar dissolves. Strain to remove cinnamon and ginger. Store in a jar in the refrigerator.

Cinnamon Sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
Place ingredients in a jar and shake to mix.

To make 1 drink:
1 cup sparkling apple cider
2 tablespoons cinnamon-ginger simple syrup
fresh orange slice for rimming glass and for garnish
cinnamon sugar for rimming glass

Rim a glass with orange juice. Dip the rim into some cinnamon sugar. Pour 2 tablespoons simple syrup into the glass and about 1 cup of sparkling apple cider. Mix. Garnish with an orange slice.

Sue’s Tips
Simple syrup is for more than just mocktails and cocktails. Add it to hot oatmeal, drizzle on pancakes and waffles, stir it into hot tea, and brush it over your cupcakes before frosting them to keep them moist.
If you won’t use up all of the simple syrup within a week. freeze it for another time.
Use cinnamon sugar for sprinkling on toast and oatmeal and popcorn and rice pudding, and lefse, and… I’ll bet you can think of all kinds of ways to use up that sweet and cinnamony mixture.
Boozey up this drink by adding some rum or whiskey.