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. 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. You’re going from 6 cups of liquid to 2 cups. 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. Let syrup cool slightly before pouring into a bottle to store. Cool completely before incorporating into drinks.
This site tells you that you can make candied ginger from the cooked ginger. 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. Stir with spoon to incorporate. Enjoy immediately. If you wanted to add bourbon… that would be delicious.
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just made this. SO. FREAKING. AMAZING.
Ohh yum! This sounds perfect for a hot summer day. It looks so refreshing!
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…
Sounds soooo good, definitely going to try…thanks for sharing!
Beautiful! I used the syrup in a hot ginger toddy, and it was amazing! Merci!
that sounds SO GOOD!!
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!
I can’t wait to try this! How long does the ginger syrup keep once you cool it?
Genius!
My friend and I made ginger ale once and it was the bee’s knees! We didn’t invite limes or bitters, though…I like the sound of your party even more.
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
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. :-)
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!
Absolutely much much better than Canada Dry! LOL
This is what real ginger ale should taste like. A big wow!
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!
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.
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?
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!
Oh, I also had a thought – for those who are in the US, if you visit a local Asian Grocery: The ginger available there is often quite a bit more reasonably priced! ProTip! =D
Thank you Joy, I needed Gingerale today (not feelin grand) and remembered this post! It is on the stove reducing :)
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?
Hi Joy,
How long will the syrup keep? And does it need to be stored in the fridge?
Thanks!
Allison
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,
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!
I made this and have already used it twice…once in a beverage :) and also as a drizzle on top of my pear tart. delish.
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.
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:)
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