How long can you harvest rhubarb? Unfortunately, we have to inform you that the 2023 rhubarb season is coming to an end. Officially, the so-called St. John’s Day, i.e. June 24th, is the end of the season. So it’s time to harvest the last rhubarb stalks and speed up the preparation of a wide variety of delicacies. You can also freeze the vegetables and prepare them at other times. And then you can, for example, regularly prepare a delicious, refreshing rhubarb drink throughout the summer. Whether liqueur, juice, schnapps or simple compote without sugar for the children, there is something for everyone in our recipe collection.
Prepare non-alcoholic drinks
For the hot summer days and to refresh the whole family including children, non-alcoholic, cold drinks are just wonderful. Juices, spritzers and even the classic compote are perfect for chilling out on the terrace or by the pool.
Make rhubarb juice with any fruit
It’s so wonderfully easy to make rhubarb juice! You need:
1 kg rhubarb stalks, cleaned (peeling is not necessary), cut into pieces 250 g sugar 1.5 liters water freshly squeezed juice of an organic lemon
The Rhubarb Drink Recipe:
If you now want to make the rhubarb juice, heat the water with the sugar in a saucepan on the stove. Once the water is boiling, add the vegetables and lemon juice. After 15 minutes of cooking, puree everything and pass it through a sieve to bring it to the boil again. Pour the finished juice into sterilized glass bottles.
Tipp: If you have a few other seasonal fruits available, you can use those as well by simply substituting some of the rhubarb. For example, a strawberry and rhubarb drink tastes just wonderful. But raspberries, apples or blueberries are also suitable. If you use tart fruit, reduce the amount of lemon juice if necessary.
A notice: Don’t throw away the pieces of fruit. You can use it to make crumble yourself or jam.
Boil the rhubarb compote and enjoy cold
Should the rhubarb compote be prepared without sugar? You can easily replace it with honey or agave syrup. This is how you can make sugar-free compote as a rhubarb drink yourself:
1 kg rhubarb stalks, cleaned, peeled, cut into pieces juice from half a lemon and half an orange 3 tbsp honey or agave syrup
Put all the ingredients except the sweetener in a saucepan and bring to the boil. After 10 minutes, when the rhubarb is soft, add the honey/agave syrup and cook for another 2 minutes. Allow to cool and enjoy, or pour into sterilized jars while still hot, seal and turn upside down to cool. Best served cold: Refreshing and healthy at the same time!
Make spritzers yourself
Rhubarb spritzer recipe for 10 servings:
900 g rhubarb 250 g sugar 650 ml water carbonated water
Cook the chopped rhubarb with the sugar and water over low to medium heat for about 15 minutes. By then passing the liquid through a sieve, you get rhubarb syrup, which you can also use for the cocktails mentioned below. Fill it in sterilized bottles. You can then use it to make your own rhubarb spritzer by pouring the syrup into a glass and then filling it up with as much sparkling water as you like (depending on how sweet you would like the juice spritzer).
Tipp: In this way, you basically get a rhubarb spritz that is alcohol-free. Alternatively, you could also prepare the sparkling water with any sparkling wine. How about a rhubarb spritz with Prosecco, for example? Gin and tonic is also ideal.
Rhubarb drink with alcohol
If the rhubarb drinks for the evening hours with friends should contain alcohol, you have the choice between cocktails with rhubarb syrup and gin or vodka, wine spritzers or liqueur. Choose any rhubarb drink from the list below:
Cocktails with rhubarb juice or syrup
When you hear rhubarb drink with alcohol, the first thing that probably comes to mind is cocktail, one of the most popular types of alcoholic drinks. How about the following drink with vodka and rhubarb:
For 1 rhubarb drink:
8 cl rhubarb juice (e.g. from the recipe above) 1 cl lemon juice from a washed organic lemon 1-2 cl vodka 2 cl sugar syrup (or rhubarb syrup from the spritzer recipe) berry lemonade for pouring basil leaves ice cubes for decoration
For the rhubarb juice cocktail, place the first four ingredients in a shaker and shake for several seconds. Put a few ice cubes in a cocktail glass and pour in the alcohol. Finally, top up with lemonade. You could also use the rhubarb spritzer from the recipe above instead of the berry lemonade for a cocktail with rhubarb syrup.
A notice: You can also use other alcohol. For example, tequila or gin can be combined with rhubarb. You can make the rhubarb gin yourself by simply substituting it for the vodka in the recipe above. How about some frozen cocktails?
Make your own rhubarb drink – refreshing wine spritzer
For a rhubarb wine spritzer, simply toss rhubarb juice with rose wine or dry white wine, but leave room in the glass for sparkling water and ice cubes. You can also use this spritz perfectly as a rhubarb aperitif for your pool party or an evening together with your best friends.
Rhubarb Vanilla Liqueur
Would you like to make your own rhubarb liqueur with schnapps? As simple as that:
For 3 bottles of 500 ml:
1.5 kg rhubarb stalks, cleaned and peeled, cut into pieces 1 kg sugar 1 organic lemon, squeezed pulp of a vanilla bean 750 ml clear schnapps of your choice
Liqueur as an alcoholic drink with rhubarb with brandy can be prepared with any clear brandy. We are happy to use vodka, but feel free to vary. For this recipe, cook the veggies with the sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla for 15 minutes. Stir every now and then. After the whole thing has cooled down a bit, pass everything through a sieve and mix the liquid with the chosen schnapps. Pour the liqueur into sterilized bottles and chill and store in the refrigerator.