This was originally posted on May 23, 2008. This recipe rocks my world. I will never look at ginger ale in the same light. If you like ginger, this is a must try recipe.
This week’s happy hour is super happy because we’re going to pick up our lovely pup, Maude. Yay! Since we’ll be driving, this week’s beverage is non-alcoholic, but still tasty; and quite frankly, there’s nothing stopping you from adding a splash of rum to make it a dark & stormy. I saw this recipe for homemade ginger ale in the magazine Imbibe and thought it would be a nice treat. Making my own soda pop makes me giggle a little, because it seems like kind of a wacky thing to do but whatever… the recipe is pretty simple so I decided what the heck.
All it takes is some ginger, sugar, water and a little free time. Once you let it simmer on the stovetop for awhile it will become a syrup that you combine with some club soda or seltzer water. The result is sooo good! It’s got a really clean taste, if that makes any sense. It’s got a great spice cut by a little sweetness and bubbly fizz. It’s by far the best ginger ale/beer I’ve ever had. I’m not joking, you should definitely try this at home.
Homemade Ginger Ale
from Imbibe
2 cups unpeeled, washed, fresh ginger, roughly chopped
2 cups sugar
6 cups water
8 cups club soda or sparkling water, chilled
1
Process ginger chunks in food processor or blender until finely chopped. Place in a large stock pot.
2
Add sugar and water and stir. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer of medium-low heat and cook for about an hour until a rich syrup is created.
3
Strain the syrup twice through cheese cloth or sieve into a large jar or pitcher. Set aside to cool.
4
Fill a glass with ice. Add 1/3 cup of ginger syrup and top it off with club soda or sparkling water. Add a squeeze of lime if you’d like. So good!
February 7th, 2009 at 10:41 am
oooo…i love ginger. i love ginger ale. homemade ginger ale?! yes, please! on another note. thanks for posting the recipe! do you find that there seems to be a large proportion of food related blogs are founded by designers?
February 7th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
hi bao!
designers like food! i think food and design have many parallel’s and blogs are a nice way to combine the two. plus i think food is a great outlet for creativity.
thanks for the great question!
February 8th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Wow…very interesting. I never thought about making my own soda. I may give this a try.
February 9th, 2009 at 1:06 am
This recipe isn’t actually for real ginger ale. Originally, ginger ale is an old-fashioned fermented soda, which doesn’t require the addition of ingredients which are already carbonated. This recipe also calls for an immense amount of sugar, which makes it an unhealthy drink, whereas the real thing has little to no sugar in it.
Real ginger ale isn’t any harder than producing this, and I don’t see any reason why this recipe meme is perpetuating so heavily through the internet.
Read more about old fashioned sodas here:
http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/Realthing.html
and get a real recipe for ginger ale here:
http://thegoodfoodmuse.net/2008/12/fermented-ginger-ale.html
February 9th, 2009 at 2:26 am
I can’t wait to try this, but what’s the ratio of syrup:soda for the best mix?
February 9th, 2009 at 7:58 am
dan-
Thanks for posting additional recipes for ginger ale. You’re right, this recipe does have a lot of sugar so it would be nice to try the fermented method.
That being said, this recipe takes much less time and ingredients and makes for a great drink. As long as you’re not drinking the whole thing in one sitting, I think you’ll enjoy the outcome without getting a sore tooth.
steve-
after putting ice in the glass I usually fill the glass about 2/3 full and then top it off with soda.
February 11th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Kelly,
Thanks for posting this recipe. I tried it yesterday and it is absolutely fabulous! Yes, it contains sugar but the key is moderation just like anything else in life! Thank you again.
February 13th, 2009 at 12:51 am
Wow! Just looking at your site makes me hungry. I’m not much of a gourmet, so I guess I’ll go eat my Cheetos now..
February 13th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
that looks so good.
February 13th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Wow, Kelly, this is awesome. I am a ginger freak and I love everything ginger. I am running out tomorrow to get the ingredients and will try this tomorrow. Thanks for the great post. I’m glad I Stumbled across your site. I really love your blog.
Creatively,
Kimberly of
kimberleekreations.blogspot.com
February 16th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
I did everything and followed the recipe step by step, however I couldnt get that “syrup” texture for the mixture. I let it simmer for longer than specified, and still very very thin, its just like really sweet gingery water that you mix with club soda. It is quite tasty nevertheless, but would like to know how to get it to be like “syrup”.
February 16th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
manny
i’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. Hmmm, let’s see. Perhaps chopping the ginger a little finer would help…
if you’ve put the right amount of sugar, water and ginger in and boiled it at the right temperature it seems like it should get thicker just due to boiling down some of the liquid. i know this probably doesn’t help much, but nothing is coming to mind.
i will make some soon and keep your question in mind. in the meantime, if anyone else has any ideas please share.
March 1st, 2009 at 12:37 am
Sounds tasty. I’m a big fan of ginger; I love those expensive ginger sodas at the store. I want to try your recipe.
March 15th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
I’m not a big fan of ginger and I haven’t tasted ginger ale yet. Gonna go try your recipe then…
I guess if I like it sweet, I’ll just add in a little bit more syrup, right? Of course, I’ll go try your recipe first. Thanks!
March 29th, 2009 at 7:52 am
Khao I couldnt get that “syrup” texture for the mixture. I let it simmer for longer than specified, and still very very thin, its just like really sweet gingery water that you mix with club soda
August 18th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
[...] chicken, make pesto, make ginger syrup (inspired by eatmakeread’s recipe of [...]
September 19th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
The sugar ginger soda version is not bad. Very simple ginger flavor. Definitely delightful in a simple way. But it lacks that Bam the production ginger ale has. I just got a soda machine and will be working on a killer Ginger ale recipe. Lime and lemon help as do salt and baking soda – go figure. It is fun to make soda though – simple syrup cranberry juice lime juice and soda – zing!
October 20th, 2009 at 4:13 am
ah.. a nice and different one.. i must try…
February 8th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
[...] 2/3 cup chilled ginger beer [...]
February 10th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
just mix sprite and a splash of coke. It tastes IDENTICAL to ginger ale.
February 11th, 2010 at 7:53 am
kate-
this ginger ale is a whole different beast. it actually tastes like ginger.
thanks for your suggestion though.
April 6th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
thanks for your suggestion though.
August 25th, 2011 at 6:12 am
Fajny post.