Ginger ale has taken a long, winding, and surprisingly historic journey to become one of the premier soft drinks in North America. What started off as a simple soda –- in fact, it was America’s first soda –- eventually became the satisfying drink that somehow seems to taste exceptional during air travel. There’s no doubt that ginger ale has become something of a staple. There are many brands of ginger ale that populate store shelves around the country, with some definitely tasting better than others. But once those shop doors close, and you’re left at home with nary a can of ginger ale to be found, what do you do? Luckily, there’s a super simple way to make your own ginger ale that actually uses real ginger.
It’s a common trick at some bars to make “ginger ale” using only cola, lemon-lime soda, and some sour mix, but another, more authentic way to whip up your own ginger ale is by combining soda water with a fast and simple homemade ginger syrup. Start by heating water and sugar, then steep some ginger pieces in it for about 15 minutes. Once you’ve let it cool and strained the bits of ginger out, voila! You have syrup that you can use to make your very own ginger ale. You can even add some lemon juice for extra zing. And based on the relative absence of real ginger in many store-bought brands, you could argue this is a real improvement.
Substitute ginger beer with this brew too
While this concoction certainly works as a last-minute replacement for ginger ale, you could definitely make the case that it’s better served as a means to make your own ginger beer. The two fizzy ginger-based beverages are similar but distinct, with ginger beer coming out as noticeably spicier than ginger ale due in no small part to the extra potent ginger-ified punch. And if you’re brewing up a syrup that contains its fair share of real ginger pieces, you can easily see the potential for making a delicious ginger beer instead of a ginger ale.
Essentially, the longer you steep the pieces of ginger in your simple syrup, the stronger your spicy ginger note is going to be. For a ginger ale replacement, you don’t need anything too strong. But if you really want to amp up the spice, you could steep the ginger for an hour or more -– even overnight if you really want to. These are the kinds of ginger syrups that you’re more likely to see at cocktail bars or other specialty watering holes, where a mixologist might want to control how spicy their ginger component is instead of relying on a brand. But even for home use, this ginger syrup, when combined with soda water, can make an irresistible Moscow mule or dark ‘n’ stormy, or even just a delicious standalone drink.
