Ginger Ale Recipe

Prepare ginger

Peel the fresh ginger with a spoon or paring knife and finely grate or thinly slice it. You should have about 1 cup by volume of grated or thinly sliced ginger.

Make syrup

In a small saucepan combine 1 cup water and 1 cup granulated sugar. Add the grated/sliced ginger. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes to extract ginger flavor.

Steep and strain

Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, if using. Let the mixture steep, covered, for 20–30 minutes to intensify flavor. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a heatproof container, pressing on solids to extract liquid. Discard solids. Allow syrup to cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator. Yields about 1 to 1 1/4 cups ginger syrup.

Build the drinks

Fill four 12-oz glasses halfway with ice (about 2 cups total). For each glass, add 3 tablespoons ginger syrup (adjust 2–4 tbs to taste).

Add soda and finish

Top each glass with about 1 cup (≈240 ml) cold club soda or carbonated water, gently stir once to combine so you don't lose carbonation. Taste and add more syrup if you prefer sweeter or stronger ginger flavor.

Garnish and serve

Garnish each glass with a lime wedge, a couple thin ginger slices and a mint sprig if desired. Serve immediately.

Make-ahead and storage

Keep the strained ginger syrup refrigerated in a sealed jar for up to 2 weeks. Mix drinks when ready using chilled soda. For a stronger, spicier batch, let syrup steep longer or increase ginger to 1 1/2 cups.