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Ginger ale is a non-alcoholic and refreshing drink made of fresh ginger and carbonated sweetened water. It’s probably the easiest soda you can make at home with little effort.
It can be consumed directly to enhance your energy levels and feel fresh or used as a base to improve the flavors of spirit-based drinks.
Table of Contents
Ginger Ale vs Ginger Beer
A lot of people mix up Ginger Ale and Ginger Beer. They are two completely different drinks. Ginger beer is brewed and fermented drink, while ginger ale is a carbonated beverage flavored with ginger.
Ginger beer is an alcoholic beverage prepared from water, fermenting ginger, sugar, and a starter culture. Ginger beer has stronger flavors with a mild spicy touch when compared to ginger ale.
Ginger Ale benefits
Ginger Ale offers the following benefits:
- It can improve your immune system functions thereby protecting you against recurrent attacks of allergies and infections. This is why patients who suffer from allergic dermatitis, rhinitis, and chronic sinusitis are advised to drink Ginger Ale on a regular basis. Ginger Ale can promote metabolic rate and fat burning processes and stimulate weight loss.
- Ginger in this beverage has the potential to support the functions of the digestive system. It can provide relief for constipation, bloating, indigestion, and heaviness in the stomach.
- Ginger Ale can regulate the production of mucus in the respiratory passages thereby relieving the symptoms of common cold and other respiratory infections such as nose block, cough, congestion, and sneezing.
- Ginger Ale has powerful anti-cancer potential. It can support the body’s natural ability to destroy cancer cells thereby reducing the risk of cancer.
How to make Ginger Ale
You can make ginger ale at home in less than an hour. It is that simple and easy. The main ingredient is fresh ginger. You can get fresh ginger from your local supermarket produce section. You can make ginger syrup using fresh ginger and granulated sugar.
To make ginger ale you will need either club soda or seltzer water.
Club soda is carbonated water that has been infused with minerals such as potassium sulfate, sodium chlorine, sodium bicarbonate and others. The minerals give water a slightly salty taste.
Seltzer originated in Germany and is also carbonated water but with no added minerals. It can be enhanced with flavourings without alerting its taste which is why I recommend using it for your ginger ale.
You will also need fresh lemon or lime juice. I use lemon juice as I have all year lemon tree. However, using either of them will not impact the taste of your ginger ale.
You don’t need any special equipment to make ginger ale in your own kitchen. Equipment used is simple and includes a saucepan, bowl and a mesh strainer.
Once you have your ginger syrup ready you can make ginger ale by mixing ¼ of syrup and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice per with ¾ cup seltzer. This is my perfect mix but you can adjust the ingredients to suit your own taste.
You don’t need any special equipment to make ginger ale in your own kitchen. Equipment used is simple and includes a saucepan, bowl and a mesh strainer.
Once you have your ginger syrup ready you can make ginger ale by mixing ¼ of syrup and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice per with ¾ cup seltzer. This is my perfect mix but you can adjust ingredients to suit you own taste.
Ginger Ale Recipe
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 2 quarts 1x
Description
Ginger ale is a non-alcoholic and refreshing drink made of fresh ginger and carbonated sweetened water.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of fresh ginger
- 2 cups of water
- ¼ cup of granulated sugar
- ¼ fresh lemon or lime juice
- 4 cups of cold club soda or seltzer water
Instructions
- Prepare ginger: Peel the ginger and cut it into small cubes.
- Simmer ginger: Place the ginger and water into a small saucepan and set over medium heat. Let the ginger simmer for about 30 minutes then remove it from the heat. Remove the saucepan from the stove and let ginger sit in the saucepan for another 10 minutes.
- Make syrup: Pour the ginger syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing down to get all of the juice out of the mixture. Discard ginger pieces. Place the ginger syrup back into the saucepan then add granulated sugar. Bring to simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Cool the syrup: Remove the saucepan from the heat. Set it aside and let the ginger syrup cool completely.
- Assemble: Serve it by mixing ¼ of syrup and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice per ¾ cup seltzer. Serve over ice. Place the remaining syrup in a mason jar and refrigerate it for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Equipment: small saucepan, bowl and a mesh strainer
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 80
- Sugar: 20 grams
- Sodium: 17mg
- Saturated Fat: 0 grams
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 grams
- Trans Fat: 0 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams
- Cholesterol: 0mg
FAQs
Is ginger ale good for you?
Ginger Ale offers benefits such as faster weight loss and improved energy levels. It can refresh your senses after a tiring day and reduce weakness, lethargy, and body pains. Ginger Ale is specifically good for people who suffer from recurrent respiratory problems like common cold, allergic rhinitis, bronchitis, or sinusitis.
Does ginger ale have caffeine?
Traditionally prepared Ginger Ale does not contain caffeine. This is what makes it a superior refreshing beverage. It can act as a stimulant and increase your energy levels without creating the short-term and long-term side effects of caffeine consumption.
Ginger ale calories
It is estimated that a 100-gram serving of Ginger Ale contains 34 calories. This is why it is also suitable for people who are conscious of their calorie intake and want to lose weight.
The calorie content, as well as the amount of carbohydrates in this beverage, is much lower than the commercially available soft drinks and carbonated beverage. This makes Ginger Ale a safer alternative to increase energy levels and feel refreshed even for patients with diabetes.
Conclusion
Ginger Ale is very easy to prepare and does not require you to put in much time and effort. This naturally refreshing drink may offer several health benefits. Its therapeutic effect on your digestion and respiratory system and stimulatory effect of your brain and immune system can help in the prevention of several diseases and help keep you healthy and active. Therefore, it’s definitely worth making ginger ale at home.
I was curious if you can just make a full batch at once and store that instead of preparing it each time?
You might be able to keep it longer than 2 weeks if instead of the club soda or seltzer water you use ginger bug. Check out this post by Wellness Mama: https://wellnessmama.com/8945/ginger-ale/. Happy brewing:-)
Hello, I was curious if you could use honey in place of sugar?. Thank you.
Sure, you can. It’s a natural sweetener:-)