Earlier this year, when we were at Morimoto’s restaurant, I had a delicious mixed drink. A delicious non-alcoholic mixed drink. The restaurant calls it a mandarin ginger — it’s mandarin orange juice, ginger ale and candied ginger. I’ve been thinking about that drink a lot recently so I decided to try whipping one up at home. I’m quite pleased with the results!
I used fresh squeezed orange juice from the local grocery store. It’s a bit of a splurge item, I’ll admit that upfront, but it makes all the difference in the world. If you have a juicer, this would definitely be the time to pull it out and juice some oranges. Mandarin oranges if you have access to them.
As with anything, it’s all about finding the combination that appeals to you. I found 2 ounces of ginger ale — I used Johnnie Ryan ginger ale and it’s particularly gingery so it gives a great flavor — to 6 ounces of fresh squeezed orange juice. Garnish with candied ginger if you have it and voila!
Simple and delicious.
