Homemade Ginger Syrup for ginger ale

IMG_4668

IMG_4555

IMG_4562

IMG_4567

IMG_4574

IMG_4588

IMG_4604

IMG_4616

IMG_4621

IMG_4638

IMG_4642

IMG_4653

IMG_4668

Homemade Ginger Syrup for ginger ale

recipe from Imbibe Magazine

makes 2 cups ginger syrup

2 cups coarsely chopped ginger

2 cups granulated sugar

6 cups water

Place chopped ginger in a food processor (or blender in a pinch) and pulverize until well chopped.

Place ginger, sugar, and water in a large stock pot. ย Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour to 1 hour and a half, until the liquid has reduced down by more than half. ย You’re going from 6 cups of liquid to 2 cups. ย The boiling syrup will become glossy and silky as it cooks down and nears completion.

Remove syrup from the flame and strain twice through a cheese cloth, or fine mesh strainer, into a large bowl. ย Let syrup cool slightly before pouring into a bottle to store. ย Cool completely before incorporating into drinks.

This site tells you that you can make candied ginger from the cooked ginger. ย Check it out!

Ginger Ale

1 cup club soda

3 tablespoons ginger syrup (or to taste)

lime wedge

dash of bitters (optional)

ice

Combine all ingredients in a glass over ice. ย Stir with spoon to incorporate. ย Enjoy immediately. ย If you wanted to add bourbon… that would be delicious.

All Comments

I Made This

Questions

269 Responses

  1. I know you posted this recipe about 2 years ago and I’m just behind the times. But still.

    I am making this delightful beverage to serve at my wedding during the cocktail hour. I’ve practiced and it’s wonderful. I can’t wait to serve it at my wedding in May! The syrup is perfect to prepare in advance, allowing me to have a homemade touch to my wedding without added last-minute stress. Thanks for being awesome 2 years ago. (And still continuing this trend today!)

  2. Hi Joy, I made this for a friend who is undergoing chemo. She mentioned that ginger helps with nausea, so I whipped up a bottle for her. She loves it! She adds it to her tea or to club soda and says it has been a great help. Thanks!

  3. Pingback: april costa.
  4. How long will this keep and does it need to be refrigerated? Can I use less sugar?

    I’m thinking this might make a good Christmas gift. Thanks.

  5. So I just made my first batch of this. After much simmering, I finally got the liquid down to almost exactly two cups of syrup. Made my hubs a nice tall glass of ginger/lime soda and low and behold, the syrup seems to burn in our throats a bit. What could this be? It’s definitely tasty but we are flummoxed by the burning sensation. Any ideas?

  6. Pingback: What I Love
  7. Joy,

    Thank you for this! This is a thank you long over due, as I make this ginger syrup nearly every week. I have become sort of famous within my extended family for my ability to make homemade gingerale. I tell them everytime it is YOU, it is all YOU that made it possible.

  8. I love this! I always have a supply now, and even more than ginger ale, I like to make hot ginger lemonade! I squeeze some lemon juice in a huge mug, add a drizzle of this syrup, and top it all off with hot water to fill the mug! I don’t do tea or coffee, so this is my hot drink of choice:)

  9. I’ve been making ginger syrup/ginger ale …replacing a spendy and unhealthy diet Vernor’s addiction :)! Use about this recipe except I add a couple of cinnamon sticks and a few whole cloves, reducing sugar by about 1/3. It makes what to me is a spicy “Vernor’s”. And for an adult drink, add a bit of Rum with water – hot or cold!

    The only downside is that the syrup seems to lose its zip quickly – more than 3-4 days. I started making just enough to last 2-3 days. It is not that labor intensive and I work from home.

  10. This was SO easy and delicious, though I did stand by the stove for two hours due to my innate fear of sugar overflowing the pot.

    I replaced the lime with a lemon and half the sugar with brown sugar, which gave it a really nice, deep flavour.

    Thanks for an amazing recipe!

  11. Joy, this is like a billion degrees of awesomeness. So awesome that it goes into my top 5 list of JTB goodies, right up there with Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Bread, Red Velvet BW Cookies, Spinach and Potato Breakfast Hash, and Parker House Rolls. And 6th and & 7th places should go to Hot Fudge Sundae Cupcakes and No bake Orange and Cream Pie.

    For some reason, every other recipes that I’ve tried from you has not turned out as good. Not that it’s your fault- I think I just need to either try them again or understand my own tastes better before I try them,

  12. Hey Joy! I’m having a dinner party this weekend and wanted to make this. Can it be made ahead and put in one of those big glass containers with a tap on it? I was going to set up a “drink station” with the dispenser, but then remembered that you say to pour the syrup over the lime. Thoughts?

  13. We burned through our first batch, so I made some more! I decided to add the same amount of ginger to this batch, but far less sugar, and a bit less water. What resulted was a very watery syrup that was very spicy, and not very sweet. Perfect for hubbsters and I, as we like it spicy! NOM NOM!

  14. I’m making this right now and the boiling ginger smells delicious! The whole house smells like it now :) I’m wondering though if the syrup needs to be refrigerated after or just store at room temp?

  15. Here’s the story: It’s like freakin’ two in the morning. I’m thinking I’m super woman, listening to Gillian Welch, making garland for my sisters baby shower and simultaneously monitoring a bubbling pot of this divine smelling brew. I feel good. I feel righteous. I hate crepe paper. She deserves better. This syrup is one of the most satisfying things I’ve made in a long-ass time. Keep on keepin’ on Joy. We’re feeling it.

  16. Made this last week and impressed everyone I know…well at least my husband and that counts as double points. I am so glad my friend introduced me to this blog…I am inspired to experiment and try new recipes. That’s huge for me because I use to be a self proclaimed non-cook. But I am loving the creativity and yummy-ness of these recipes! Thanks and keep on keeping on!

  17. I totally made this earlier last week, you inspired me, thank you so much! I ended up tripling the recipe, it took SO LONG and made the house humid, but the SMELL! It was fantastic! Also the dash of bitters was GREAT, it really made it!
    Thanks again!

  18. Hi there Joy! I’ve been using my ginger syrup in iced tea lately, and yesterday morning, I put it with some watermelon chunks and lime in the blender and it made the BEST breakfast juice! YUM!

    I also did the classic, with lime, bitters, and bourbon for the 4th of July. Friends were happy. :-)

  19. i made the syrup with out sugar so it was basically a ginger concentrate and then made the drink with a twist of lemon ( didn’t have lime ) and sweetened it with stevia … it was Deeeelicious and i couldn’t have enough of it cause my 5 years old son drank half of it lol … thanks joy for the delightful drink

  20. what an amazing drink!
    and might i add, i love all your cooking utensils and glassware.
    if only i could be as kitsch-y as you!

  21. whoa, this is such a great idea! I absolutely LOVE ginger ale, but would you believe that it isn’t sold here? I definitely need to give this a go, especially because it looks so simple. But I always have this fear of working with sugar over the stovetop…like I’m expecting it to explode or something…

  22. Help! I made this but I must have boiled it too long and it crystallized. Is there anything I can do to fix it?

    It does taste wonderful! Just not the right texture.

  23. This is awesome. I just left about 10 ounces of ginger syrup at camp, so it is great to have more instructions to make my own (the ginger syrup I had was left over from making candied ginger).

  24. Hello, my whole kitchen, yeah think my whole appartment, smells of ginger this very minute. Looking forward to tasting it. It’s a big surprise to my husband, who loves geinger ale. But it’s almost impossible to by here in Denmark. And when you can get it, it costs big time :-)

  25. I’ve just got to say: thank you thank you thank you!!

    My family is big into ginger ale. Like… scary big. As in every time I go grocery shopping (~once a week) I’m picking up several liters of the stuff. THIS will be perfect for the fourth of July. I’m so excited. Plus I’ve got some wild turkey on hand, just sayin’.

  26. I do this all the time, it truly is fabulous and has many healthy benefits too. We make virgin ones for the kids when they get upset tummies in the winter too. Good for moms and morning sickness, heartburn and digestion. I will mix a bit of syrup with hot water and a squeeze of lemon for a very good water retention cleanse too.

  27. I just need to say (yes, need) that I love, love, LOVE that you drink out of jars. I have this absolutely foolish obsession with collecting jars. It’s so much prettier to store things in glass. Rice, candy, cookies, pasta… anything you need to store, really. And drinking from them makes me feel like I’m a woman in the depression, which I have completely and ridiculously romanticised. I have this one super tall jar that I adore making cold, summery drinks in. It makes me feel special. And I like that. So, Joy, kudos to you for the love of jars. I hope it makes you feel special! xxoo.

  28. That is the cutest photo intro of all time. Also — genius on the bitters addition. I make ginger syrup frequently, but had never thought to add bitters — that’ll send ‘er home, as it were. Thanks!

  29. Made this last night and I can’t wait to try it in a million different things! Ginger ale reminds me of being sick, since that’s what my grandma swore by for stomachaches…but the syrup can do so much more. t I love ginger tea and think it would be great in lemonade and with so many different kinds of alcohol :) I candied the ginger pieces too and plan to throw them in lots of baked goods. Thanks, Joy!

  30. Sounds delicious.. So how do I need to store the ginger syrup? ..In the fridge, in the pantry.. does it need to be treated (boiled, baked in a container) or any other prep to prevent breakdown of quality? Thank you ;o)

  31. Love the napkin and the lime plate! It’s very cute.
    BTW, I now go to Marshall’s and go nuts over the plates! My old plates are white and boring. You’re right. Life is too short for boring plates! :)

  32. Was recently at a great Chinese restaurant (Rainbow Chinese Restaurant) in Minneapolis…they sell their homemade ginger syrup. I forgot to buy some….now I don’t need to! Thanks!

  33. Ginger ale is amazing. You are amazing. Everything you make looks gorgeous before, during and after being turned into whatever you are cooking.

    That said, I will be making your spinach and potato hash for the boy I’ve been with for almost two years. Trying to get a proposal over breakfast using food magic. This is exactly the right place to find that sort of recipe.

  34. This is delicious! I woke up with Ginger Syrup in my mind and there was the recipe! You got mind reading powers girl.
    Right now I’m loving it on diet coke and lime, and I suspect it could spice up some Bourbon reeeal nice.

  35. This is adorable! I love ginger ale. I used to look forward to going to my grandma’s to have a glass of Canada Dry. And now every time I have a sip of the ale, I think of her. Thanks for such a happy recipe.

  36. Usually, I add ginger syrup to black tea (brewed with cinnamon sticks and chilled). Now I feel a bit stupid for never making my own ginger ale! Forest for the trees.

    Now I’m thinking maybe freezing ginger into ice cubes for tea or mixed in with seltzer. Time to experiment!

    The Clumsy Eater

  37. Oh Yum!! Had a pool party today, and thought, what the heck, I will try this. Biggest hit of the party. So much so that I had to make a second batch of syrup. I will never ever ever be able to go back to that stuff in the can.

  38. I’m reporting back now that I am sipping on my own homemade ginger ale. I decided to peel the ginger and dry it for candied ginger to add to some homemade granola. My syrup turned out a much lighter color than what you have here, perhaps because of the peeling? I also used less water and yielded about 1 1/2 cups syrup, like in the recipe you linked to. I added the syrup to seltzer, and it’s delicioussss!!!

  39. Joy – I’ve got the pot on the stove right now. The syrup is still reducing (I overbought on the ginger and am making a double batch, darn), and I’m so excited I can hardly contain myself.

    Just thought you should know. Glasses will be clinking to cheers your brilliance soon.

  40. Hi. I don’t know you…or even remember how I stumbled upon your blog…but I love you. Is that weird? I love your blog. I love your food. I think you are so talented. And I think you are hilarious. Just thought you should know. :)

  41. I love this and will definitely have to try it. I’m originally from South Africa and we have a traditional drink that we call Ginger Beer, but its basically a fermented ginger ale (not quite fermented to the point of being real beer.) That sounds a lot grosser than it really is :)

  42. Joy,
    This looks delightful! My boys and I have been making lots of homemade drinks to keep cool this summer. Can’t wait to show them this beautiful post of yours.

    Elana

  43. WOW, thanks So much for sharing …i love ginger ale and this will be so much “cheeper” :)

    thanks again.

    Melissa from Naches, WA

  44. You read my freaking mind. I was planning on making ginger ale today and I come to your site and its here. Is is too soon to say I love you?

  45. Right before reading this I combined this morning’s coffee with a quarter cup of last night’s lemon ginger tea. It was amazing and I thought to myself “I wonder if I can make ginger syrup to put in my coffee”. And here, this morning of all mornings, you post a recipe for ginger simple syrup. Amazing. Thank you.

  46. Made it tonight. YUM!! I also happen to know that ginger syrup in hot milk makes a faaaaaaabulous steamer for those of us in colder climes.

  47. Adorable pictures! I’ve been obsessed with ginger ale since the boyfriend introduced it to me last summer. I never imagined it’d come together so simply.

    What are bitters though?

  48. I’ve been drinking ginger ale + lime + bourbon since, well, a couple of days ago when i tried mixing it. it’s my favorite drink ever, but i bet i will like it even more with the home made ginger ale. thank you!

  49. This one stole my heart. I cannot wait to make this sometime tomorrow and add some whiskey to it. And photograph it all. And blog it. And thank you/credit you for being so rad. (xoxo)

  50. I totes mcgoats have to try this. I’m very into homemade delicious drinks. I have to try the Shutterbean strawberry-infused vodka, too. A friend of mine did Skittles-infused vodka, and it came out amazing.

  51. talk about follow-through. i just listened to the podcast this morning and then i check through my reader aaaaaaand there it is: the ginger syrup. i do love making syrups, and homemade ginger ale is da bomb, really.

    also! so interesting that you’re friends with the UYD podcasters! now that i drive to work for an hour, their podcast, yours, and the wine one are the ones i look forward to most! This American Life is also a great one though – I agree.

  52. This is totally giving me an excuse to buy one of those new Soda Stream machines to make my own club soda :-) My husband will thank you!

  53. I love that I can make my own soda now. I usually don’t drink it because it’s so… artificial… but this is real stuff! My fiance is a big fan of ginger ale, and he’d be super impressed if I made this.

    I also love the captioned pictures. :)

  54. mmmm summer… I add chilies and lemongrass to my recipe its perfect (and omit the bitters)! Makes for some yummy spice!

  55. You are seriously the coolest ever. Dig the photo story on DIY ginger ale. Also one of my top 3 favorite beverages of all time. I wish I would have thought about making some that one time my hubs came back from the grocery with a massive ginger root because he thought they only sold it in huge chunks. I still have ginger left over and that was over 1 year ago. True story.

  56. My ex husband had a no ginger rule. For the last year, I’ve eaten ginger about four times a week. Clearly I’m going home tonight and making this. Thanks!

  57. I just thought you should know Joy, I showed my mommy-dearest your website about a month ago and no exhaggeration, she has made at least 15 recipes off of it. Boo ya. One of her favourites was the Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cake. Keep doing what you’re doing !

  58. I made something similar a few years ago but instead of putting it in a bottle, I froze it in ice cube trays so it would last longer. I then gave it (them?) as a gift to a friend with breast cancer who was going through chemo. Ginger is great for settling a sick stomach. She loved the thoughtful, homemade gift but also loved the ginger ale. I, of course, provided the club soda and limes too. Her hubby appreciated the gesture too and used the club soda & limes for his own “get you through the rough spots” drink of choice as well. Happy to report that she is healthy today! :)

  59. I was literally looking for Ginger Root last night…was planning to make my own Jamaican style Ginger Beer from scratch since I am in the Dark & Stormy cocktail mode. Ginger Beer, limes, Gosslings Rum – good to go. I also do a thing where I cook down ginger & pineapple into a syrup to make a similar bubbly soda. I love the combo of pineapple/ginger! Great recipe! Thanks!

  60. This looks great! I make a similar ginger ale, except I like mine more gingery than the average person, so I make a ginger reduction and a simple syrup so that way everyone can choose how much sugar they like! But I love the dark gorgeous color and the idea of making candied ginger! Thanks!

  61. I cannot describe how much I enjoy drinking real ginger ale. Thank you for this recipe! And thank you for sharing your blog!

  62. I freaking love ginger ale! My mom used to get raspberry ginger ale when I was younger but I can’t find it anywhere anymore…sad times…but I think I will try to add it to this recipe somehow…hmmm….

    1. We used to always get raspberry ginger ale for special events at my house when I was a kid too! Occasionally we’ll still find it at Christmas time, but you’re right otherwise I can’t find it anywhere.

  63. I love this. But I really LOVE your captioned pictures. For real love. But this may be a stupid question, but what are “bitters” and where can I find them?

  64. My mom loves ginger ale, and I think I would impress her immensely if I made her ginger ale from scratch. “Yeah, Mom. No big deal.”

  65. “it’s spicy and it reminds me of a dinousaur.”

    LOL… like.. totally rolling on the floor.. (in my head at least, I’m at work and don’t want to scare the people here).

    Great photos and tutorial. Never thought of making this from scratch!

  66. Hey Joy!!! this is going to be . . amazing! but question . . . what are bitters?!?! and where does one find it?

  67. This seems so much easier than the wait required to make traditional ginger ale. Thanks for sharing!

  68. Hi Joy!

    I’ve been making ginger syrup for a while now (of course your process is better than mine), but I’ve always wondered how long it will keep in the fridge? Do you have any ideas on that?

    -Carina

  69. Oooh; big ginger, here I come. Thanks for this! Also, some buddies of mine happen to be in the business for craft bitters, if you’re interested. They do what they do well! Here’s the link if you’re interested, and I apologize if linking to commercial sites isn’t allowed or something!
    https://bittercube.com/

  70. I’m going through a major love affair with ginger right now, hooray for homemade ginger syrup! You don’t have to peel the ginger? The peel isn’t bitter? Just curious.

  71. I have been making a variation of this for years. After my syrup has cooled I squeeze & strain the juice of 2 or 3 limes into the syrup.And yes,it does make a fabulous cocktail!!

  72. Thank you Joy! This sounds yummy. AND ginger is SO good for you. But what I want to know is, WHERE did you get the straws? They are so cute! @ Naomi — bitters should be in the liquor section. Often called Angostura Bitters —

  73. This is awesome! Sometimes, when people are telling me their recipes, I say “Oh, I should make that sometime!” Just to be nice. But I’m honestly gonna buy ginger root today. This is the perfect summer thingee. Only thing is I don’t know what bitters are, so I don’t know what section of the grocery store I can get them :(

  74. I think you read my mind, Joy! I was under the weather this week and sucking down ginger ale big time, thinking, “I could make this stuff and it would be SO much better!” and here you are, making it and bottling it up for the whole wide world! thanks man!

  75. Here’s a question (and a possibly stupid one): Should I store the syrup in the fridge, or is room temperature fine? It’s going to take me awhile to get through 2 cups (although I haven’t tried the ginger ale deliciousness yet, so maybe not). Thanks!

  76. I actually just made ginger syrup using Andrea Reusing’s new book, Cooking In the Moment. It’s for her rhubarb ginger sorbet, which is truly divine. She recommends adding the syrup to a summer cocktail of muddled strawberries, lime and vodka. Yum!

  77. YUM! I love ginger ale, the more gingery the better. This will be delicious in a Dark & Stormy! (basically this drink, plus dark rum… mmmmm)

  78. I used to have a hate relationship with ginger when I bought some organic ginger apple juice that tasted awful–but this looks fantastic. it could rekindle the flame ;)

  79. This summer (because it’s been summer here in Florida for a while already) I’ve been making herbal sodas. For ease I just throw some tea bags (current favorites are lavender chamomile and Tazo Refresh – but not together) into water, slowly bring to a boil, add sugar to make a simple syrup. In a mason jar I “eyeball” the amounts of syrup and sparkling water, taste, adjust. Yum!

    Headed to the market today to pick up some ginger! Yum, ginger ale!

  80. Love this tutorial Joy…You know just how to hold my attention at 7 am – and how to inspire me to try making something new! What fun.

  81. So um yeah, I’m going grocery shopping today anyway and well, I’ll be adding ginger to my shopping list! I’m so making this today!

  82. Joy this looks AWESOME!

    The only soda I ever drink anymore, and we’re talking once a year on an airplane type thing, is ginger ale.

    But seeing that you made this ginger syrup, all of a sudden I really think I need ginger ale in my life. That I make myself. Who am I? Possibly making my own soda? I can’t even believe it…

    Thank you for the nudge :)

  83. Fresh ginger is a magical thing. What a great idea!
    Imagine this syrup mixed with rice vinigar to make a spicy-sweet dipping sauce for sushi.
    Soya sauce is not the best choice for those who are limiting their sodium. A splash of soya sauce in the ginger dipping sauce would still add some of the deep richness of soya sauce without all that sodium.
    Katy

  84. Joy. Thank you, thank you for doing this and in the process giving me plans for the weekend and thus saving my cats from being dressed up in my boredom. Thank you for making this saturday a lot more gingery. I like it, Its good.

  85. Great tutorial. I love ginger so I’m going to have to give this a try. Am I right in thinking from the pictures that you just chop the ginger and put it all in peel and all or do you peel it first?

  86. See how you are??? This brilliant ginger syrup on the tails of summer solstice…what a better way to kick off the first official weekend of summer? Vodka would be a beautiful addition, just the thought makes me want to put on a tank top and hang out with friends…yes please and thank you!

  87. Ah how funny…I was just reading the post from Serious Eats about the best ginger ale, they said Vernors was the best but I’m thinking this is waaaaaay better then any ginger ale.

    P.s. My sister and I were laughing our booties off listening to you and Tracy Shutterbean’s podcasts…keep up the awesomeness!

  88. i once made ginger beer which i love but this ginger syrup sounds more versatile and really delicious and so i will be making it soon..jane

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Posts