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How to Guide

Recipe courtesy Heather RamsdellMakes one drink Skip the straw and get your nose close to the sunny scent of a long, thin spiral of zest. It makes this sparkly homemade lemonade even more refreshing.

Ingredients

Lemonade Sparkler:

Zest and juice from 1 lemon

2 ounces simple syrup, recipe below

2 ounces gin, optional

1 sprig mint

Sparkling water

Ice

Directions:

Wash the outside of the lemon. Use a sharp citrus peeler to shave a long, continuous strip of lemon zest. If the strip breaks, start right up where you left off.

Put some ice into a 16-ounce tumbler. Spiral the long strip of zest inside the glass from bottom to top, adding ice as you go to keep it in place.

Halve and juice the lemon. Put the lemon hulls, lemon juice, simple syrup (plus the alcohol if you are using it) into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake very well and strain into the glass. Clap a sprig of mint between your palms and tuck into the glass. Top with sparkling water and enjoy.