Whether it’s used as a base for mixed alcoholic drinks, or drank on its own as a snack or a home remedy, ginger ale is a very refreshing beverage. Ginger ale has a long history in cuisine; while many supermarkets and stores sell bottled ginger ale, you can easily make your own batches with a few simple ingredients and steps.

What is Ginger Ale?

Ginger ale is a tasty non-alcoholic drink made from carbonated water and ginger. The fermentation process helps provide the drink with a deep, unique flavor, and helps aid carbonation. The first soft drinks sold in the world were ginger ales, although the tradition of making ale dates back to centuries in medieval Europe, where it was first made as a drink and as a home remedy.

The flavor of ginger ale makes it perfect as a base for many alcoholic drinks like cocktails. Non-alcoholic drinks like punches can also be made from ginger ale. When allowed to ferment for a longer period, the end result would be ginger beer.

Ingredients and Tools

To prepare ginger ale, you need the following ingredients:

• Fresh ginger root (Want to propagate ginger, learn how to grow ginger)
• Cool water
• 1 cup cane sugar
• Juice of one lemon
• A quarter teaspoon of granulated baker’s yeast (not the powdered form)

You will also need the following tools:

• Clean plastic bottle (do not use a glass bottle)
• Funnel
• Measuring cup
• Measuring spoons
• Steel grater

Steps

To make ginger ale, follow these steps:

1. Place the funnel on top of the bottle.
2. Funnel the sugar into the bottle, and add the granulated baker’s yeast.
3. Shake the bottle in such a way that the yeast and the sugar particles mix together well.



4. Peel a limb of the ginger root and grate it with the finest holes in a steel grater. The finer the ginger root is, the more surface area is exposed, and more ingredients come into contact with the ginger. The end result would be a heightened sensation and flavor of ginger, which is the taste of authentic ginger ale.
5. Place the grated ginger in a measuring cup, and add to it the lemon juice. Mix the ingredients together and pour them into the bottle.
6. Some of the ginger will stick to the cup, funnel or the grater, but you can’t let those bits simply go to waste. Rinse the tools with fresh, cool water.
7. Fill the bottle with the rinse water. Leave about an inch of space from the rim of the bottle to allow the drink to carbonate.
8. Seal the bottle tightly, and give it a good shake to dissolve the sugar granules, and to evenly distribute the flavors.
9. Store the bottle in a warm, dry area for 24-48 hours, until the bottle is hard to the touch. You can test the degree of carbonation by squeezing the bottle; if you can still make a dent in the bottle with your thumb, the ale is not ready yet. Be careful not to keep the bottle in a warm area for longer than the time needed to complete carbonation; the bottle may explode and leave a mess.
10. Chill the carbonated ale overnight before consuming. Open the bottle very gently to allow some of the carbonation to escape before serving.

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How to make Ginger ale at home

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