Quick Homemade Ginger Ale

Before you start

Fast ginger ale is two parts: a concentrated syrup of fresh ginger, sugar and water, and cold soda water to give it fizz. Mixing the two to order means you control the sweetness and bite in every glass, and you avoid any bottle fermentation. The syrup does the heavy lifting, so its strength decides the result.

The amount of ginger and the steeping time set the heat. Thin slices simmered briefly give a mild, golden ginger ale like the commercial kind; grated ginger steeped longer makes something closer to a fiery ginger beer. A squeeze of lime in each glass sharpens the flavor and keeps the sugar from tasting flat.

Ingredients

• Ginger syrup150 g (a 15 cm piece) fresh ginger — scrubbed, thinly sliced or coarsely grated
• 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 250 ml (1 cup plus 1 tbsp) water
• 1 strip lemon zest — optional
• Per glass45 ml (1½ oz) ginger syrup
• 15 ml (½ oz) fresh lime juice
• 180 ml (6 oz) cold soda water
• 1 cup (about 150 g) ice cubes

Method

1. Put the ginger, sugar, water and lemon zest in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
2. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and cook gently for 10 minutes. The kitchen will smell strongly of ginger.
3. Remove from the heat and steep for 20 minutes. Taste a drop: it should be sweet up front with a heat that builds after you swallow.
4. Strain into a heatproof jar, pressing hard on the ginger. Cool, then refrigerate until cold.
5. For each drink, fill a highball glass with ice. Add 45 ml syrup and 15 ml lime juice.
6. Pour in 180 ml cold soda water slowly down the side of the glass to keep the bubbles. Stir once, gently, from the bottom up.

Tips for success

• For more fire, grate the ginger and steep it for 45 minutes. Grating can double the perceived heat compared with slices.
• Keep both the syrup and soda water cold. Warm syrup knocks the carbonation out of the soda the moment they meet.
• Young ginger with thin, shiny skin is milder and juicier; older, fibrous ginger is hotter. Adjust the steeping time to match.

Substitutions

Granulated sugar

Demerara sugar gives a darker, more caramel ginger ale. Honey works but tastes noticeably of honey; add it after simmering so it does not scorch.

Lime juice

Lemon juice is a fine swap and slightly softer. Leave the citrus out entirely for a sweeter, rounder drink.

Soda water

A soda siphon or carbonation machine gives the liveliest fizz. Sparkling mineral water adds a slight mineral taste.

Variations

Spiced ginger ale

Add 1 cinnamon stick and 4 allspice berries to the syrup while it simmers.

Lemongrass ginger ale

Bruise 1 stalk of lemongrass, cut it into pieces and simmer it with the ginger.

Troubleshooting

The ginger ale is not spicy

The ginger was mild or steeped briefly. Grate it next time and steep longer, or add an extra 15 ml of syrup per glass.

It goes flat quickly

Warm ingredients or vigorous stirring released the gas. Chill everything well and stir just once.

It tastes sharp and almost medicinal

Too much ginger heat without enough sugar or acid to balance it. Add 5 ml lime and a little more syrup, or dilute with more soda.

Storage

Refrigerate the strained syrup in a closed jar for up to 2 weeks. Discard it if it turns cloudy, smells fermented or shows mold. Mix drinks to order; finished ginger ale loses fizz within minutes.