Rhubarb makes such delicious desserts, but for something a little different, I had to try to make Rhubarb Syrup! Grandma loved to make cold drinks in the summertime, and I remember she would have some kind of liquid drink mix that was in a big glass one gallon jug. You'd mix it like the powdered drinks we have now, only it was a liquid. She would keep those glass gallon jugs down in the basement for future use - you never know what you might need it for! 
This syrup is good and ridiculously delicious for making cold drinks, but you could also use it for pouring over Clara's Goofy Pound Cake, Sweet Milk Griddle Cakes, or even Homemade Ice Cream. Grandpa also loved rhubarb, and I KNOW he would have liked some of this on his famous Waffles. It's finally supposed to warm up here in Minnesota this weekend, so we're going to enjoy this in a nice cold drink, just like Grandma would!
Here is the recipe as I made it:
Rhubarb Syrup
Bring to a boil:
3 cups rhubarb, chopped (the redder the rhubarb is, the more colorful the syrup will be)
2 cups water
Lower heat and simmer 20-25 minutes.
Strain out the rhubarb solids - don't press the juice out or it makes the syrup cloudy.
Put syrup back into pan.
Add:
1 1/2 cups sugar
Bring to a boil again and let boil for another 5 minutes, making sure the sugar is dissolved.
Once the syrup is cool, store in a jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.
The syrup will thicken a bit as it cools.
Don't forget to cut off the leaves and dispose of them - they're inedible. Some people cut the rhubarb stalk from the plant, but I was taught to pull it out - so cut that end off, too.
It doesn't need to be a very fine chop of the rhubarb.
Add the water and we're ready to boil.
You can see how nasty the rhubarb looks after simmering - just discard that. I suppose if you wanted to simmer it with the sugar already in it, it would almost be like a jam and you could eat it that way. I haven't tried that.
Strain it and put the syrup back into the pan with the sugar to boil for another 5 minutes.
After it cools, pour it into a jar to keep in the refrigerator.
So pretty!
I filled the glass with ice, poured in about 2-3 Tablespoons of the syrup, and filled the glass with sparkling water.
Absolutely delicious. We might have to try this with a bit of vodka this weekend!
This syrup is so, so good! It was deliciously refreshing in the drink, and I can't wait to try it poured over something like Pound Cake. Or Waffles. Or Sweet Milk Griddle Cakes. Or Homemade Ice Cream. I've gotta think of some more ways to use this stuff - it's amazing! If you want to try something a little different using your oh, so precious rhubarb, give this Rhubarb Syrup a try and let me know what YOU do with it - I need more ideas!
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