2000s Recipes + Menus
Homemade Ginger Ale
Makes about1 1/2 cups syrup (enough for 4 to 6 drinks)
- Active time:10 min
- Start to finish:3 hr (includes chilling)
June 2009
Carefully simmering fresh ginger in water for a good, long while is the key to deep, rounded flavor. Once you have the ginger syrup on hand, a hankering for ginger ale can be satisfied practically instantly (the drink’s trademark fizz comes from seltzer). For a more traditional take on this zingy cooler, check out the recipe for Homemade Ginger Beer.
- 1 1/2 cups chopped peeled ginger (7 ounces)
- 2 cups water
- 3/4 cup sugar
- About 1 qt chilled seltzer or club soda
- About 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Make Syrup:
-
Cook ginger in water in a small saucepan at a low simmer, partially covered, 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep, covered, 20 minutes.
-
Strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl, pressing on ginger and then discarding. Return liquid to saucepan and add sugar and a pinch of salt, then heat over medium heat, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Chill syrup in a covered jar until cold.
Assemble drinks:
-
Mix ginger syrup with seltzer and lime juice (start with 1/4 cup syrup and 1 1/2 tsp lime juice per 3/4 cup seltzer, then adjust to taste).
Cooks’ note: Ginger syrup keeps, chilled, 1 week.
- Keywords
- web-exclusive recipes,
- beverages,
- summer,
- andrea albin
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