5 Ingredients or Fewer

Rhubarb Lime Spritzer

by:
April 19, 2010
5
2 Ratings
Rhubarb Lime Spritzer
  • Makes 6 drinks
Author Notes

Rhubarb's bracing acidity and generous fragrance make it a perfect medium for drinks. You cook down a little rhubarb with sugar and a dash of water, season it however you like -- ginger, lemongrass, or why not cardamom? -- strain the mixture, and blend the syrup with sparkling water or, better yet, prosecco.

Here I added vanilla to the rhubarb and then squeezed a lime into the drink. And as I sit here sipping it on a late April evening when it's still 80 degrees out, I'm pretty happy with my little midnight elixir. —Amanda Hesser

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3/4 pound rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 36 ounces sparkling water or prosecco
  • 6 lime wedges
Directions
  1. Place the rhubarb, sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a medium saucepan. Cover and place over medium heat. Simmer until the rhubarb is soft enough to mash with the back of a spoon -- then mash it! Stir in the vanilla.
  2. Pass the rhubarb mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much syrup as possible. You should have 3/4 cup syrup.
  3. Fill 6 tumblers with ice. Add 2 tablespoons of syrup to each glass. Top with sparkling water (or prosecco). Squeeze a lime wedge into each glass. Give each drink a stir. Then toast to your thirst and happiness.
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  • Laura Shubert
    Laura Shubert
  • Jennifer Ann
    Jennifer Ann
  • Amanda Hesser
    Amanda Hesser
  • JanSin
    JanSin
Amanda Hesser

Recipe by: Amanda Hesser

Before starting Food52 with Merrill, I was a food writer and editor at the New York Times. I've written several books, including "Cooking for Mr. Latte" and "The Essential New York Times Cookbook." I played myself in "Julie & Julia" -- hope you didn't blink, or you may have missed the scene! I live in Brooklyn with my husband, Tad, and twins, Walker and Addison.

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10 Reviews

JanSin
JanSin June 7, 2012
I have a steam juicer. It's a bit of a random piece of equipment, but it makes beautiful rhubarb syrups and juices, which I can for later enjoyment.

Look here: http://www.amazon.com/Mehu-Liisa-Liter-Stainless-Steel-Juicer/dp/B000SSU6V2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1339118976&sr=8-4

Super amazing easy to use. If you do a search on Google, you'll see lots of videos. You can get them cheaper, just make sure you get stainless steel and not aluminium.
 
Amanda H.
Amanda H. June 7, 2012
Cool -- thank you!
 
fitsxarts
fitsxarts May 3, 2011
i am really excited to try this!
 
mcshay
mcshay May 7, 2010
help! i boiled the rhubarb but it's too thick and gooey to pass through my sieve (i will say it tastes great regardless though). with 2 lbs of rhubarb i barely yielded half a cup. got any tips on how to avoid this next time? and any suggestions on what to do with the leftover rhubarb goop? seems too tasty to toss...
 
Amanda H.
Amanda H. May 7, 2010
You may have cooked off too much liquid by boiling it (in step 1, you're supposed to just simmer it). But don't worry! Add 1/4 cup water to the mixture and gently reheat it. Then pass it through the sieve. As for the goop, you could spoon it over ice cream.
 
Laura S.
Laura S. May 1, 2010
I've made this a few times since it was posted--It is a wonderful drink! We're having it again tonight (:
 
Amanda H.
Amanda H. May 1, 2010
How great to hear!
 
Jennifer A.
Jennifer A. April 19, 2010
Sound perfectly refreshing! My mother has an enormous rhubarb plant - I wonder if you could freeze the syrup to last throughout the summer?
 
Amanda H.
Amanda H. April 19, 2010
I bet you could -- may not retain its color well, but its flavor should hold up.
 
May E.
May E. May 28, 2012
Rhubarb freezes well, so perhaps freeze before making the syrup, that would help keep the color.