Quick & Easy - Lemon Ginger Soda

Friends of ours are moving away for school & we are going to take care of their Sodastream machine in the mean time.  Before we could make the drink that we intend to though (stay tuned to see what that is!), we need to get to know the machine & form a bond with it.  While there are plenty of delicious soda ready-made syrups out there, the Boyfriend decided he was going to make his very own from scratch.

To make the simple syrup, gather together...
     1 cup ginger, finely chopped
     1 cup water
     1/2 cup agave nectar (or honey)

And in a small pot...
     Bring water, ginger, & agave to a boil while stirring constantly
     Reduce heat to a simmer & let that continue for 15 minutes
     Turn off the heat & let the syrup steep for 3 minutes
     Strain the syrup through a sieve into a container

To make the actual soda.....
     Carbonate cold plain water according to the Sodastream
     Slowly pour in the juice of 2 lemons & 3/4 cup of the ginger syrup
     Close the bottle tightly (not too tightly) & gently roll the bottle on a flat surface

Pour into a glass & enjoy!  The spiciness of the ginger comes through without being too overpowering & it was not too sweet like store bought sodas can be.  And a huge bonus?  Everything was natural without artificial additions or chemicals!