Vinaigrette’s Ginger Turmeric Drinks

Question: Is Austin more of a mighty, carnivorous bastion of meat-celebrating tenacity … or an indomitable stronghold of vegetarian (maybe even vegan) fortitude?

Oh, pffft, Chad and Karen – it’s not a goddam competition. Austin is, in fact, happily both of those things – and everything between.

Photo courtesy of Jen Judge

Well, as “happily” as can be in these food-industry-devastated COVID-19 times, right? Jesus. Don’t get us started.

But, while we’re doing our best to support our local hospitality community – and simultaneously reaping the tasty rewards of take-out and delivery – we’re also doing a lot more cooking and bartending at home. And that includes trying to replicate such unique and deeply flavored wonderments as the turmeric-and-ginger libations from that salad-loving sanctum of veggie and meaty goodness called Vinaigrette.

You want to give those drinks a try in your own kitchen, we’ve got the recipe direct from Vinaigrette’s head honcho Erin Wade right here. (And it’s only tangential, but we’re not gonna miss this opportunity to give you a link to Wade’s open letter calling bullshit on Grubhub.)

Ginger Turmeric Drinks

Ginger Turmeric Base

Ingredients:

12 carrots
16 oz fresh turmeric root
2 large knobs fresh ginger
4 lemons

Preparation:

Juice everything in a juicer and add lemon juice separately or add lemons through juicer feed with peel removed. Refrigerate until ready to use, for up to five days.

Crazy Ginger Syrup

[Note: This is a very potent syrup, and a little bit goes a long way. You can also use this for your own housemade ginger sodas or add it to cucumber juice or water for some kick. And it’s very soothing to upset tummies, which is likely to be a thing right now.]

Ingredients:

1 cup ginger juice (yes, a whole cup, from raw fresh ginger, juiced, and 1 cup is equivalent to about 1/2 lb. raw fresh ginger)
1 cup sugar

Preparation:

In a pot, heat until sugar is just combined. You don’t want to cook it too long – because you want a fresh ginger flavor, not cooked ginger. The syrup will last two weeks, refrigerated.

Ginger Turmeric Tonic (GTT)

Ingredients:

2 oz Ginger Turmeric Base
1⁄2 oz Crazy Ginger Syrup

Preparation:

1) Fill pint glass with ice.

2) Add base and syrup and fill with soda, prepare for a novadose of pure flavor.