Chilled Saint Lucian Passion Fruit and Guava Cooler with Fresh Ginger

Combine the sugar, water and sliced ginger in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup passion fruit pulp, from about 10 fresh fruit or frozen and thawed
• 2 cups guava nectar, chilled
• 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed
• 3 cups cold sparkling water
• 1 pinch fine sea salt
• 1 lime, cut into thin wheels
• 1 small handful fresh mint sprigs
• 4 cups ice cubes

Instructions

1. Combine the sugar, water and sliced ginger in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
2. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, then take off the heat and let the ginger steep in the syrup for at least 20 minutes as it cools. The longer it sits, the more heat it carries.
3. Strain the syrup into a jug, pressing firmly on the ginger slices to extract every bit of flavor, then discard the solids.
4. If using fresh passion fruit, scoop the pulp into a sieve set over a bowl and press with a spoon to separate the juice from the seeds. Reserve a spoonful of seeds for garnish if you like the texture.
5. In a large pitcher, stir together the passion fruit juice, guava nectar, lime juice, ginger syrup and a small pinch of salt — the salt sharpens the fruit rather than making it savoury.
6. Taste and balance: add lime if it reads too sweet, or a splash more syrup if the passion fruit is especially sharp.
7. Refrigerate at least 2 hours until thoroughly cold. Chilling the base before adding bubbles keeps the drink lively rather than foamy.
8. Just before serving, fill the pitcher with ice, pour in the cold sparkling water and stir once gently from the bottom.
9. Serve in tall glasses with lime wheels and mint sprigs, and pass the reserved passion fruit seeds for anyone who wants them.
10. Saint Lucia's roadside vendors build drinks like this from whatever is ripe that week, which is why the ratio matters less than the balance — passion fruit brings the acid, guava brings the body, and ginger keeps the whole thing from tasting like dessert. Making the ginger syrup separately gives you control that dumping grated ginger into the pitcher never will. The base keeps for three days in the refrigerator, so mix it once and add sparkling water by the glass all weekend.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 146 kcal
• Protein: 1g
• Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 36g
• Fiber: 3g
• Sugar: 31g
• Sodium: 35mg