Homemade ginger ale!!
How great does that sound??
Okay, so I definitely did not come up with this recipe on my own. I got this directly from my new
favorite book “Make the Bread, Buy the
Butter” by Jennifer Reese.
Seriously, I LOVE this book!
It’s more than just a cookbook or how-to book, it’s also full of great
stories from the author’s life…like the good and the bad of raising chickens
and goats in her family’s suburban backyard. Including a highly entertaining attempt at raising their own
Thanksgiving turkey(s). The book
is funny and witty, and SO informative.
Reese gives an overview of many common foods we buy all the time
(Oreos, cream cheese, mustard...over 120 recipes!). Reese breaks each item down by cost and hassle to determine
whether you should buy it or make it (hence, the title of the book), and then
gives a recipe or two or three.
Buy this book!!
Ginger ale seemed to call to me. We don’t drink soda very often at our house, but when we do
it’s almost always ginger ale. The
thought of making it myself with all-natural ingredients was extremely
appealing, and this is a great recipe. That being said, I
didn’t quite follow the recipe, but I should have, and next time I will. What did I do differently? Well, I used active dry yeast instead
of instant because that’s what I had in the house. I didn’t have a lemon, but I did have lemon juice…so it’s
very possible I didn’t even come close to adding the correct amount. And I skimped a little on the
ginger because I was being lazy and tired of grating it. I definitely should have
added more ginger, it’s such a great flavor!! Oh, and by the way, Reese's verdict is “make it.” She compares Canada Dry at about $1.79 for
a 2-liter bottle and the homemade version at about $1.59. DO NOT go and try to compare this to
some cheap shit, generic ginger ale because that stuff sucks ass…it doesn’t
even have ginger in it! Now make some of this, mix it with a little dark rum and have yourself a fabulous dark 'n' stormy!
Ginger Ale
 |
| Props to Terrapin |
Ingredients
1 lemon
2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger (~2” chunk)
1 cup sugar
¼ tsp instant yeast
cold tap water
Empty 2-liter plastic bottle with a screw-on cap to put it
all in
Instructions
1) Place funnel in the mouth of 2-liter bottle. Juice the lemon and strain the juice in
the bottle.
2) Add the ginger, sugar and yeast. It’s okay if some is stuck to the
funnel, the water will flush it out.
Pour in enough water to fill the bottle and cap tightly.
3) Gently shake to mix up all the sediment (ginger, sugar,
yeast). Press on the bottle,
you’ll notice there’s a little give.
4) Let the bottle sit at room temperature for about 24
hours. You’ll know the soda is
done when you press on the bottle again and there’s no give. Put the bottle in the fridge, and as
soon as it’s cold, it’s ready to drink! If you don't want the ginger "pulp," strain it into a glass to drink.
*Open the bottle with care, it may be very bubbly. Finish off within a few days, as it
will lose its effervescence.
enjoy!
~ j
