Fresh, real ginger ale not only tastes great, but it’s also easy to make at home. If you’re looking for a healthy, nutritious drink, you can’t go wrong with this natural ginger ale recipe made with real ginger.
You don’t need any fancy equipment. All you need is a plastic juice bottle, some fresh ginger root, and a few more ingredients.
The great thing about ginger ale is that it’s easy to adjust the seasonings to suit your own tastes.
This recipe makes a real ginger ale that’s not too sweet and quenches the thirst with a bit of spice and heat.
If you like a sweeter drink, an additional ¼ to ½ cup of sugar.
Real Ginger Ale Made With Real Ginger Recipe
Ingredients:
- ½ cup sugar (or add 1/4 to 1/2 cup more sugar if you like it sweet)
- ¼ teaspoon champagne yeast (or baker’s yeast)
- 1 ½ tablespoon grated or finely chopped ginger root
- 4 cracked peppercorns
- Zest from half an orange
- Pinch of red pepper flakes (2 pinches if you’re brave!)
- Juice of half a large lemon
- Water
- 64-ounce plastic juice bottle or 2-liter plastic bottle with lid
- Funnel
- Strainer
Put the sugar and yeast into the plastic bottle. If you have champagne yeast or wine yeast, the ginger ale will taste better. If not, baker’s yeast will work, too. Put the lid on the bottle and shake to mix.
Add the grated or chopped ginger root, peppercorns, orange zest, and pepper flakes.
Pour in the lemon juice. Add water to the bottle and fill it up, leaving at least two inches of headroom at the top of the bottle. As it ferments, it will begin to expand, so make sure to leave some room for the yeast to do its work.
Put the lid on the bottle and tighten it. Shake the bottle well until the sugar dissolves.
Once the sugar is dissolved, place the bottle in a warm place.
As the yeast begins to work, the bottle will begin to expand. Check it regularly, at least every twelve hours. Simply squeeze the bottle to see if it is hard.
As the ale ferments, the bottle will continue to expand. If you forget about it, the bottle may eventually burst.
To avoid bursting bottles, put it somewhere visible so that you don’t forget about it. You’ll need to check it regularly and if it’s out of sight, it may be out of mind.
It usually takes at least two days to reach a strong carbonation.
If the bottle is hard, but it has been less than two days, cover the bottle with a cloth and carefully loosen the lid to release a little of the pressure. It is best to do this over a sink just in case it tries to overflow.
Then tighten the lid back up and allow it to sit a while longer. Continue to check the bottle every twelve hours. The longer it ferments, the stronger the carbonation.
After around two days, you should have a fresh batch of real ginger ale. Simply chill and serve. Keep the remaining ginger ale cold to prevent further fermentation.
(When you check the fermentation, also smell it. It should smell a little yeasty, but otherwise okay. If at any time it doesn’t smell right, or if it smells bad, then don’t drink it. When in doubt, pour it out. Fermenting at home can have unexpected surprises sometimes, so always make sure to use only fresh ingredients and a clean container. )
