Simple and Brisk Rhubarb Juice
This is one of those deceptively simple recipes, passed down through friends of friends, that everyone adores for its uniqueness. Once chilled, the juice is brisk and refreshing. It has a mixture of tartness and sweetness that resembles homemade lemonade.
Servings: 8
Calories: 24kcal
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (900 grams) rhubarb stalks
- 8 cups 1(900 ml) water
Instructions
- Slice the rhubarb stalks crosswise into one-inch segments. Place rhubarb segments into a large pot along with the water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes.
- Strain liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher or spouted bowl, pressing on the solids in the strainer to extract as much juice as possible.
- After 20 minutes, the juice will separate, leaving a yellowish sludge at the bottom. Decant the clear pink liquid into a clean bottle or pitcher, leaving the sludge behind. Chill for a few hours at least, and serve cold over ice.
Video
Notes
- There are so many ways to serve rhubarb juice. You can pour it straight over ice, cut it 1:1 or 2:1 with still or sparkling water, stir in a bit of simple syrup or other liquid sweetener, or use it as a mixer for vodka or gin.
- Use a fine-mesh strainer like this one. You can line it with cheesecloth or a nut milk bag if you like, but it's not necessary.
- Store the juice in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Unlike when you make syrup, the pulp is pretty spent after being boiled in a large volume of water. We suggest discarding it.
- I first published this recipe on Serious Eats back in 2013.
Nutrition
Calories: 24kcal | Carbohydrates: 5.1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.2g