Eating In: Making Spicy Ginger Ale at Home

By Kevin Grzyb in Food on Jul 1, 2005 7:26PM

So, you like it spicy? Well, we have got the right beverage for you; another simple concoction from your friends at Chicagoist to help spice up your holiday weekend entertaining.

Chicagoist likes our cool summertime refreshments and when we can make them ourselves, all the better. We got a curious thrill in line at Zingerman’s Deli while visiting friends in Ann Arbor, when we spotted a bottle of Blenheim Ginger Ale’s 1903 Hot Ginger Ale. We were intrigued. It was hot. Spicy-hot that you don’t get in any of the mass produced, lowest common denominator of flavor ginger ales that you see in the stores. We had to figure this one out, so back in the food labs of Chicagoist’s headquarters we went to work. Here is the resulting process for making some sumptuous and spicy homemade ginger ale:

First, the base is going to be simple syrup. 1-2 Cups of sugar for every cup of water. Add freshly grated ginger. (When buying ginger look for firm, round hands of ginger, not overly dried or wrinkled skin) If you’re making a batch of1.5 cups of sugar and one cup of water for the simple sugar a hand of ginger about the size of your palm will make it spicy, but this is all relative to taste, you may want to make a warm up batch to try the ratios. Boil the ginger in the syrup on a slow simmer for about five minutes or so. Allow to cool. Strain out the ginger pulp and squeeze any liquid from the pulp.

Fill a glass with ice, add a shot or two of the gingered syrup, squeeze in a quartered lime, add soda water or sparkling mineral water, garnish with a lime slice and a ginger slice (so fancy) add a straw, because the syrup settles and hangs at the bottom. The syrup can also be used for making ‘ginger bomb’ martinis. Enjoy.

Have a great 4th.
Don’t drink and drive.