Lemongrass is a native plant of India and has been used for food and beverage creation in the region for centuries. The taste is a refreshing, grassy lemon-lime with notes of ginger and mint.
If you love Indian, Thai or Indonesian food, a lemongrass soda is an incredibly delicious & complementary beverage to go with these dishes. The taste and the bubbles help to cleanse the palate and can go toe-to-toe with the strong rich flavors. This is a great drink alternative to the typical curry companion, beer.
Making lemongrass syrup (or any syrup) is simple and only takes 20 minutes. Start with a couple lemongrass shoots (often available in the produce section of your grocery store), peel the dry outer layer, and keep the first 5 or 6 inches of the stem from the bulb up. Cut lengthwise and dice into chunks.
Put the chopped lemongrass, a cup of water and a cup of sugar in a pot, bring to boil and then let it simmer on low for 15 minutes.
Allow to cool (or throw a couple ice cubes in the pot to rapidly cool) and put the finished syrup in a sealed jar. It will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator if desired.
Pour the cooled syrup in the flavor chamber and put a carbonator in the carbonation chamber. Fill the bottle with cold water and one or two segments of lime. Two segments makes a lime-heavy lemongrass soda. Personally I prefer one lime segment.
Push the button and create! Click here to see a 28s video of the lava lamping...
Pour & enjoy! Bonus time... add a bit of gin to channel your inner Raj. Add a 1/2 cup of chilled gin to the bottle before carbonating to create a Lemongrass Gin Fizz. Certain to make your Lamb Rogan Josh even tastier. Did you know that without gin (and without gin, few would bother with tonic), it is possible that the sun may have set on the British Empire? True. So participate in a bit of delicious culinary history.