Why It Works

This simple two-ingredient recipe makes a brisk and refreshing juice, with rhubarb front and center.

A brief covered simmer extracts flavor in just 15 minutes, keeping the process efficient.

Optional sugar lets you tailor the tartness, from unsweetened and sharp to lemonade-like.

As a kid, rhubarb played a pivotal role in my life. It was a literal role, actually. As a 12-year-old in a school play, someone told me if everyone mumbles, "Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb," in a crowd scene, it sounds from the audience like there are lots of real conversations going on.

What, did you think I was going to say that every summer I used to pick rhubarb with my grandmother from her backyard garden, and then she'd teach me how to navigate life while we baked pies in the steamy, rustic kitchen? Well I wasn't. And I didn't. And that's fine.…