Ginger Ale Recipe
Make Ginger Ale Recipe in just 1h 30m. Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
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Ingredients
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Ginger Syrup
Assembly
Method
Ginger Syrup
Prepare ginger
Peel the fresh ginger with a spoon or peeler. Finely grate or mince until you have about 1/2 cup by volume of grated ginger. Packing the ginger lightly in the measuring cup is fine.
Make syrup
In a small saucepan combine 1 cup water and 1 cup granulated sugar. Add the 1/2 cup grated ginger. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 8–10 minutes to extract ginger flavor.
Finish syrup
Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. Allow the syrup to steep with the ginger for 15–20 minutes off heat to deepen flavor.
Strain and cool
Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a heatproof container, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids. Let the syrup come to room temperature, then refrigerate until fully chilled (about 1 hour). Syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Assembly
Prepare glasses
Fill four tall glasses with ice cubes (about 1/2 cup ice per glass). If serving single large batch, use a pitcher with ice added at serving time to avoid diluting the whole beverage.
Mix ginger ale
For each 8-ounce (1 cup) serving, add 2 tablespoons (approx. 1 fl oz) to 1/4 cup (2 fl oz) chilled ginger syrup to the glass depending on desired sweetness and ginger intensity. Top with 1 cup (8 fl oz) chilled carbonated water. Stir gently once to combine. In this recipe's quantities, use 1/2 cup ginger syrup mixed into 4 cups carbonated water and adjust to taste.
Notes on variation
For a spicier ginger ale, increase grated ginger in the syrup to 3/4 cup or let the syrup simmer an extra 5 minutes. For a less sweet version, reduce sugar to 3/4 cup and increase lemon juice to 2 tablespoons. To make a larger batch, keep syrup-to-soda ratio around 1:8 by volume as a starting point and adjust to taste.