Directions

1. 1

   Rinse the fresh ginger thoroughly under cool running water to remove any dirt or debris. You do not need to peel the ginger. Break off any pieces where dirt may be trapped between the nodes, then roughly chop the ginger into chunks. Trim the lemongrass stalks and roughly chop them into small pieces. Place the chopped ginger, lemongrass, and water into a food processor and blend until the mixture becomes a smooth puree. Stop the processor several times to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure even blending.

2. 2

   Line a 2-cup liquid measuring cup with either several layers of cheesecloth or a single layer of fine-mesh muslin. Working in batches, pour the ginger-lemongrass puree onto the cloth-lined cup. Gather the edges of the cloth and twist them together above the puree, pressing and wringing the cloth to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids and repeat the process with remaining batches until all the liquid has been extracted. You should collect approximately 4 cups of juice. If you have less than 4 cups, add water to reach 4 cups total.

3. 3

   Pour the extracted ginger-lemongrass juice into a large heavy-bottomed pot and add the granulated sugar. Place the pot over medium heat and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Watch the pot carefully as the mixture has a tendency to boil over. As the syrup heats, impurities will rise to the surface as foam. Use a fine-mesh skimmer or slotted spoon to remove the foam and discard it. Continue simmering and skimming until the foam stops forming and the syrup becomes clear, indicating it is fully prepared.

4. 4

   Carefully pour the hot finished syrup into sterilized glass bottles while still hot, or allow it to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container of your choice. Store the syrup in the refrigerator where it will keep for up to six months.