Squeeze Play Lemonade

I remember the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium from back in the day. I worked there for a little while in concessions. I’m telling my age but this was during the time when Dale Murphy, Bob Horner, Terry Harper, Glenn Hubbard, Rick Mahler, Ken Oberkfell, Rafael Ramirez, Ozzie Virgil and Claudell Washington were on the Roster. As with all things in life, time brought about change. New names and new digs.

Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was demolished. Turner Field erected. Above is a panoramic shot of Turner Field I took before the Braves vs. Mets game last Friday. It’s likely the last time I’ll see another Braves game in-person at this venue as the team is making a big move to Cobb County next year. This house was a good one but it sounds like their new home at SunTrust Park is going to be pretty phenomenal.

In honor of this bittersweet occasion, I’ve crafted a cocktail with the help of a bottle of Templeton Rye Whiskey, some aromatic bitters and a rich simple syrup. I wanted this drink to be something classic and that would effortlessly pair with all sorts of ballpark food. I couldn’t think of anything better than Lemonade. It’s highly versatile and just like southern sweet tea, porch swings and baseball, it’s an iconic Summertime favorite.

In order to make the Lemonade we need simple syrup. I make jars of this at home all the time. On occasion, I keep it classic with just sugar and water but most often, I make it with ginger. This time I added lemongrass and a a few cardamom pods. Here’s the recipe.

Lemongrass Ginger Rich Simple Syrup

1 cup water
2 cups pure cane sugar
1 cup fresh ginger, sliced
1 stalk lemongrass – bottom part, chopped
4 cardamom pods, smashed

Combine all ingredients in a small non-reactive heavy saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 30 – 45 minutes depending on the strength you want from the final product. Strain through a sieve into a glass jar and allow to cool to room temperature.

Make candy with the ginger slices or save for another use.

The Lemonade is very easy to make. You’ll only need a large glass in which you’ll combine water, lemon juice, simple syrup, bitters and Templeton Rye Whiskey.  Top it with ice and you’re ready to go.

Templeton Rye Whiskey leans toward spicy and can be enjoyed straight or on the rocks but it is highly complimentary in cocktails. What I was hoping to achieve with this recipe was a balance between the tartness of the lemons, the subtle hint of bitter, the sweet syrup and the noticeable presence of spice of which I’m a huge fan. I think this lemonade gets it done. The only thing left to do is to give this bittersweet cocktail a name.

Hmm… let’s call it Squeeze Play.

Squeeze Play Lemonade

6 oz water
2 small lemons
2 oz Lemongrass Ginger Rich Simple Syrup
8 to 10 drops 18.21 Bitters Prohibition Aromatic Bitters
2 oz Templeton Rye Whiskey
Ice

Combine all ingredients in a 16 oz glass. Stir. Fill glass with ice. Garnish with a lemon slice. Toast the team. Drink.

Feel free to adjust the amount of syrup and whiskey to suit your tastes. Enjoy it as-is or make it sweeter and boozier.

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Disclosure:  I received a complimentary bottle of Templeton Rye Whiskey and stipend for recipe ingredients. I received no monetary compensation for this post. All opinions are based on my own personal experience. You can view my full Disclosure Policy here.