Ginger Ale at Home
Nearly everything is more delicious with real sugar — see, for example, the persistence and cult-life following of Dublin Dr. Pepper. Real sugar is probably the crux of what makes this ginger ale so much better. The intense volume of real ginger certainly helps, too, though.
The instructions here are adapted from those here. I didn’t follow them precisely, and I tweaked the proportions a bit to suit my own tastes.
Ginger Syrup
2 c. ginger, roughly chopped
1.5 c. sugar
1.5 c. waterPut all ingredients in a saucepan. Heat, while stirring, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, and let stand for at least 1 hour. Strain out ginger and discard.
This syrup would also be handy to have on hand for other drinks as well.
Ginger Ale
4 oz. ginger syrup
6 oz. soda water
the juice of 1 limePut syrup and lime juice in a tall bar glass and stir. Top with soda water. Add ice.
This is definitely a ginger ale — not a ginger beer. As a ginger ale, it’s got a wonderful flavor and packs enough of a ginger punch to tickle the throat a bit. I can’t wait to try this out with bourbon.
