Ginger Syrup
I love ginger. Ginger ale, ginger beer, gari, gingersnaps, gingered mashed potaotes, you name it, I will presume I’ll love it if it’s flavored with ginger.
Back in my homebrewing days, I flirted with making my own ginger beer, but never followed through. I did make my own ginger syrup, and found that when mixed with soda water, it make a very tasty, and very affordable, version of ginger beer.
After several recent Thursday Drink Nights featured high usage of ginger syrup, I realized it was time to try making some of my own again. Naturally I’ve lost my old recipe, which I recall being terribly complicated. This time I wanted as simple as possible. After checking out several, I decided to start with a version offered by the Minimalist.
I didn’t see the need to make the simple syrup first, so I went the super lazy route.
Ginger Syrup
3 cups water
2 cups sugar
6 ounces ginger root, roughly chopped (no need to peel)
put ingredients in decent sized saucepan. bring to boil. let simmer for 15-20 minutes (until up to half-reduced). strain solids from syrup. let syrup cool. put in easy to pour bottle. use with joyful abandon!
I couldn’t understand why it was taking so long for my syrup to boil until I recalled that I used frozen ginger root. I put ginger root in the freezer so it keeps longer. I also find it grates much more easily when frozen. But it takes longer to get to boiling temperature when put in water and sugar. Next time I’ll try unfrozen1 ginger root and see if it makes much difference in the taste. The kitchen smelled absolutely wonderfully of fresh ginger while this simmered, and the syrup has a fantastic aroma.
Using this recipe, I ended up with just shy of 750 ml (25.36 ounces, or the size of what we think of as a fifth of liquor). I poured this into a recently emptied bottle of Lillet, and labeled it prominently so I don’t surprise myself.
Instant Ginger Beer
2 oz ginger syrup
soda water
pour ginger syrup in a rocks glass filled with ice. top with soda water. stir. enjoy!
My first use was to make my own instant ginger beer. I started with 2 ounces in a rocks glass, and found that that plus ice plus soda water made exactly what i wanted - sweet gingery goodness.
Naturally I started adding ginger to everything I could think of. One of my favorites is to use it in place of simple syrup in a daiquirí. Use a dark Jamaican rum instead of a light rum, and you get something that hints at the flavors of falernum.
Dark Ginger Daiquirí
2 oz dark Jamaican rum (Appleton Estate Extra 12 year)
1 oz ginger syrup
3/4 oz lime juice
shake over ice. strain into cocktail glass. sip happily.
What uses can you think of for ginger syrup?
[1] What’s the word I’m looking for…prefrozen? Oh. That’s right. Fresh
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haineux said:
Oct 29, 08 at 10:19 pmTamarine Restaurant in Palo Alto, CA is a superb contemporary fusion Vietnamese restaurant. When you eat there, you will enjoy several of their excellent house cocktails. One that I hold in highest regard is a mojito which combines “hot” ginger and “cool” mint. I asked the bartender, and he told me that the key to the drink was to make ginger-infused rum.
So I take a fifth of Cruzan (either their Estate or Blackstrap), pour 3/4 of it in a blender (the rest goes in a different bottle), coarsely chop 4-6 ounces of ginger (no need to peel), and blend for several minutes. Put the puree back in the bottle, and steep for a day or two (for mild ginger flavor), or a week (for something approaching hot sauce).
With the Blackstrap rum and the ginger flavor, you can see I’m leading up to a Dark and Stormy that’ll “automatically” be terrific — even if you use diet ginger ale.
KL said:
Oct 30, 08 at 4:46 amWe use ginger syrup at my work and I started juicing the ginger slices after making the syrup and adding lemon, lime, and water, the loading it into an isi beverage canister and adding a co2 charge for a carbonated fresh tasting ginger beer. Makes a heck of a dark and stormy.
Rick said:
Nov 01, 08 at 4:25 pmStevi,
Just made up a batch of ginger syrup today. My recipe was a touch different. About 3oz ginger, peeled and julienned, added to 1 1/2c sugar and 3/4c water. Brought to a simmer and simmered for 2 min, then steeped for 2 hours. It’s pungent and good. Added about 1oz of Canton for preservation purposes.
Chef E said:
Nov 04, 08 at 1:16 pmMy mom used to make ginger ale, and I love the homemade version still today.
Not quite a dark and stormy - Made from Scratch » My Aching Head said:
Nov 10, 08 at 5:02 pm[...] side of things before I wanted to start with something basic. I recalled seeing a post from Stevi at Two At The Most for a recipe of ginger syrup, so I got to work. I actually wanted the syrup to be a little bit more [...]
Sobieski Vodka and the Mazowse Mule | Two At The Most said:
Dec 07, 08 at 5:46 pm[...] a Polish, not Russian, product. In that spirit, I developed a variation on the Mule, using my ginger syrup, and named it after the rye-growing [...]
Fernet Branca has Moxie | The Mixoloseum said:
Dec 12, 08 at 12:00 am[...] Francisco bar tradition of chasing a shot of Fernet with ginger ale, Bryan experimented with adding ginger syrup and soda [...]
Fernet Branca has Moxie | Two At The Most said:
Dec 12, 08 at 12:02 am[...] Francisco bar tradition of chasing a shot of Fernet with ginger ale, Bryan experimented with adding ginger syrup and soda [...]