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Lemon and ginger shots with cayenne, and how to make a week of them
Short answer. A lemon ginger shot is a small, sharp juice of fresh ginger and lemon, softened with a little green apple, with a pinch of cayenne stirred into the glass just before you drink it. Juice the ginger, lemons and apple on a horizontal slow juicer such as the Sana 727 or 707, make a week’s worth in one session (about 350 ml, or seven 50 ml shots), keep two days of it in the fridge and freeze the rest in ice-cube trays or small bottles. Add the cayenne to each shot as you serve it, not to the batch.
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What goes into a lemon ginger shot
Three ingredients and a spice.
- Fresh ginger gives the heat and the body. Young ginger with thin, shiny skin doesn’t need peeling: scrub it, trim the dry ends and slice it into thin coins. Our ginger and turmeric shots post covers peeling older roots and buying good ginger.
- Lemons give the sharpness. Peel them, because the white pith makes the juice bitter, and pick out the pips.
- One green apple takes the edge off without making the shot sweet. Core it, as Sana’s manuals ask. Half a cucumber does the same job with even less sugar, and gives a slightly greener, milder shot.
- Cayenne pepper goes into the glass, not the juicer. Sana’s 727 manual lists spices such as black pepper among the things not to put through the machine, and ground cayenne is the same kind of dry ingredient. It also settles to the bottom of a bottle, so a pinch stirred into each shot tastes far better than a spoonful stirred into the batch.
Cayenne brings a different kind of heat from ginger. Ginger warms the whole mouth; cayenne arrives a second later at the back of the throat and fades quickly. A small pinch is enough to notice. If spicy food gives you heartburn, leave it out: the shot is still good without it.
Making the shot on a slow juicer
Ginger is dense and fibrous, and it gives less juice than you would expect: a thumb-sized piece makes only about 10 to 15 ml. A horizontal slow juicer presses that fibre along the screen at low speed, which is why we use one for shots.
- Slice the ginger thinly. Coins of 2 to 3 mm feed easily. The Sana 727 manual asks for fibrous ingredients like ginger to be sliced thinly and fed in small amounts.
- Choose the slow speed. On the Sana 727 Supreme, use 40 rpm. The Sana 707 has one low speed of 63 to 75 rpm, and the Sana 929 Ultimate presses roots with the same horizontal design.
- Alternate hard and juicy. Feed a few slices of ginger, then a piece of lemon or apple to push them through. Let each handful clear before you add the next.
- Finish with apple. The last pieces of apple carry the remaining ginger juice out of the drum.
Like every slow juicer, the Sanas give more juice per kilo, less foam and less heat than a fast spinning machine.
Lemon, ginger and cayenne shot
This recipe makes a week of shots for one person in about 20 minutes. Taste a sip before you bottle it. If it is fiercer than you like, add a little water or more apple now; you can’t take the heat out later.
Lemon, ginger and cayenne shot
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Scrub the ginger, trim any dry ends and slice it into thin coins. Peel the lemons, cut them into pieces and remove the pips. Core the apple and cut it into wedges.
- Fit the fine screen. On the Sana 727, set the speed to 40 rpm. The Sana 707 runs at one low speed; on the 929, follow its manual for roots.
- Feed a few slices of ginger, then a piece of lemon or apple to push them through. Let each handful clear before adding the next.
- Finish with the last apple wedges to carry the remaining ginger juice out of the drum.
- Stir the juice and taste. Add a little cold water if it is too strong.
- Pour two shots into a small glass bottle for the fridge, filled to the top. Freeze the rest in an ice-cube tray or in small bottles, leaving about 1 cm of space at the top.
- To serve, stir or shake the shot, add a small pinch of cayenne, stir again and drink. Rinse the juicer straight after juicing.
Notes
Variations. Swap the apple for half a cucumber for a lower-sugar shot. Add the juice of one orange for a softer, rounder one. For a deeper colour and an earthier flavour, our ginger and turmeric shots are the next step.
Making a week of shots in one session
Juicing fresh every morning is the part that’s easiest to let slide. One Sunday session and a freezer solve that.
The idea is simple: drink the first two days from the fridge, freeze the rest the same day, and move one portion from the freezer to the fridge each evening. Home-made juice is at its best fresh, and our batch juicing guide explains how long different juices keep and how to store them, so we won’t repeat it here.
| Day | What to do |
|---|---|
| Sunday | Juice the full recipe. Pour two shots into a small glass bottle, fill it to the top and refrigerate. Freeze the other five |
| Monday and Tuesday | Drink from the fridge bottle. Shake it first |
| Every evening from Tuesday | Move the next day’s frozen shot to the fridge |
| Wednesday to Sunday | Drink the thawed shot, stirred, with a pinch of cayenne |
If two of you drink shots, double the recipe. On the 727 or 929, which have no run-time limit, a double batch isn’t a problem. On the 707, the manual limits continuous running to 30 minutes, which is plenty for this amount.
Freezing shots in ice-cube trays or small bottles
Both work. Choose by how you like to drink them.
Ice-cube trays. Best if you like your shot diluted or on ice.
- Measure one compartment of your tray with water first. Trays vary; if yours holds about 25 ml, two cubes make one shot.
- Pour in the juice, freeze it flat, then tip the cubes into a labelled freezer bag or box so they don’t pick up freezer smells.
- In the evening, put tomorrow’s cubes in a small glass in the fridge. They are thawed by morning. In a hurry, drop them into a little cold water.
A silicone tray with a lid is easiest to pop the cubes from. Keep one tray just for shots, so your ordinary ice doesn’t taste of ginger.
Small bottles. Best if you like a ready-to-drink shot you can take to work.
- Use small glass bottles of 50 to 60 ml with screw caps, one shot per bottle.
- Leave about 1 cm of space at the top: juice expands as it freezes, and a full bottle can crack.
- Move tomorrow’s bottle to the fridge the night before and shake it well before drinking, because frozen juice separates.
Label everything with the date. In our kitchen, frozen shots taste good for a few weeks; after that the flavour fades, even though they still look fine.
When and how to drink it
A shot is small: 30 to 60 ml is plenty, and starting at the lower end is wise. The NHS suggests having juice with meals rather than between them, which is kinder to teeth, so a shot with breakfast fits well. Lemon juice is very sharp, and a glass of water afterwards is pleasant anyway.
Stir the shot just before drinking, add a small pinch of cayenne, stir again and drink it straight. If it is too strong, top it up with a little cold water or sparkling water and call it a long drink instead.
Who should take care with ginger shots
Ginger is a food, but a daily shot is a concentrated amount. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) lists heartburn, stomach discomfort and diarrhoea among possible side effects of ginger, and Memorial Sloan Kettering’s herb guide advises caution with blood thinners and gallstones. Home-made juice also isn’t pasteurised, which matters more if you are pregnant or have a weakened immune system.
If you are pregnant, take blood thinners or other regular medication, or have gallstones, check with your doctor before making shots a daily habit. Our guide to juicing and your health covers who should check first and why.
Made with a Sana juicer
Sana 707 Juicer
R9899,00
Sana 727 Supreme Juicer
Price range: R12999,00 through R14999,00
Frequently asked questions
Can I put cayenne pepper through the juicer?
No. Sana’s 727 manual lists spices such as black pepper among the things not to put through the machine, and ground cayenne is a dry spice. Stir a small pinch into each shot as you serve it instead. It settles, so stir again just before drinking.
How much lemon ginger shot should I drink?
A shot is usually 30 to 60 ml. Start at the lower end, with a meal, because strong ginger can cause heartburn or stomach discomfort in some people. If you take medication or have a health condition, check with your doctor first.
Can you freeze lemon ginger shots?
Yes. Freeze them in an ice-cube tray and move the cubes to a sealed bag, or in small glass bottles with about 1 cm of space at the top. Thaw tomorrow’s portion in the fridge overnight and shake or stir it before drinking. We use them within a few weeks.
How many shots does one batch make?
This recipe makes about 350 ml, which is seven 50 ml shots: a week for one person. Ginger and lemons vary in how much juice they give, so expect a little more or less.
Do I need to peel the ginger?
Not if it is young and thin-skinned. Scrub it well, trim the dry ends and any soft spots, and slice it thinly. Older ginger with thick, papery skin is easier to scrape with the edge of a teaspoon first.
Which juicer is best for ginger shots?
A horizontal slow juicer, which presses fibrous roots along the screen at low speed. The Sana 727 has a 40 rpm setting for roots and fibrous greens, and the Sana 707 runs at a single low speed. Slice the ginger thinly and alternate it with lemon and apple.
Sources
- Ginger, US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. nccih.nih.gov
- Ginger herb information, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. mskcc.org
- 5 A Day: what counts?, NHS. nhs.uk
- Talking about juice safety, US Food and Drug Administration. fda.gov
- Sana 727 Supreme user manual (English), Sana Products: slicing ginger, spices not to process, removing apple seeds. sanaproducts.com
- Sana 707 user manual (English), Sana Products: run time. sanaproducts.com
- Sana 727 Supreme and Sana 707 product pages: speeds. sanastore.co.za · sanastore.co.za
