Ginger Soda Recipes

LEMON-GINGER SODA

Steps:

• Blend ginger with 1/2 cup water until smooth. Strain, pressing on solids to yield 1/2 cup juice. Stir together ginger juice, lemon juice, and honey. Ginger base can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 week. (It makes enough for 10 drinks.)
• Fill a glass with ice and add 2 tablespoons ginger base. Top with seltzer and garnish with a slice of ginger.

GINGER SODA

Steps:

• Bring ginger, lemon peel, and 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add sugar, and stir until it has dissolved. Return to a boil. Cook until syrup has been reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes.
• Pour syrup through a fine sieve into an airtight container; discard ginger and lemon peel. Let cool slightly. Cover, and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour (up to 1 week). To serve, fill 8 glasses with ice and lemon slices if desired; stir 1/4 cup syrup and 1 cup seltzer into each glass.

HOMEMADE GINGER ALE

Steps:

• Make syrup:
• Cook ginger in water in a small saucepan at a low simmer, partially covered, 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep, covered, 20 minutes.
• Strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl, pressing on ginger and then discarding. Return liquid to saucepan and add sugar and a pinch of salt, then heat over medium heat, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Chill syrup in a covered jar until cold.
• Assemble drinks:
• Mix ginger syrup with seltzer and lime juice (start with 1/4 cup syrup and 1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice per 3/4 cup seltzer, then adjust to taste).

FRESH GINGER AND LEMON SODA

Steps:

• Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a boil and use a wooden spoon to stir occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and set the simple syrup aside to cool for 5 minutes.
• In a blender jar, combine the ginger and sliced lemon; add the warm simple syrup and place a lid on the blender. Begin blending on the lowest speed until the ginger and lemon are roughly chopped, about 1 minute. Turn off the blender and let the ginger-lemon syrup steep for 10 minutes. Repeat, this time blending the ginger-lemon syrup on medium speed for 1 minute before turning the blender off and steeping for 10 minutes more.
• Strain the ginger-lemon syrup through a fine-meshed sieve lined with 2 layers of water-moistened cheesecloth, set over a medium bowl, using a rubber spatula to help push the mixture through.
• Fill a glass with ice, add 3/4 cup seltzer water. Top with ¼ cup ginger-lemon syrup and use the spoon to stir. Adjust the flavor with more ginger-lemon syrup or seltzer as needed. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
• The remaining ginger-lemon syrup can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

CARROT GINGER SODA

Steps:

• For the carrot ginger syrup: Stir together the carrot skins, sugar, ginger skins and 1 1/2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, about 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until bright orange and slightly syrupy, 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to infuse for 15 minutes. Strain into a heat-resistant container and discard the solids. Cool, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use and for up to 1 week.
• For the carrot ginger soda: Fill 4 tall glasses halfway with ice. Add 1/4 cup syrup and 1 cup seltzer to each glass, stir and serve.

SPARKLING GINGER-LEMON SODA

Steps:

• Combine ginger and 2 quarts cold water in a large pot. Cut lemons in half and squeeze into pot, straining out pits. Drop lemon halves into pot and bring to a boil. Turn off heat, cover and let steep 30 minutes. Stir in honey, then taste for sweetness, adding more to taste. Strain mixture into a container and discard solids. Let cool to room temperature, then chill until very cold.
• Working in small batches, pour cold mixture into the bottle of a carbonator, filling it not more than 1/3 full (this will give the mixture room to foam). Charge with CO2 until very fizzy, waiting between charges for foam to subside completely. (This can take up to 2 minutes, so be patient.)
• Very slowly, as if opening a bottle of soda, release the bottle from the carbonator. Serve immediately, or cover tightly and chill. (Extra soda mixture can be refrigerated for up to a week, and can be served carbonated or flat.) To serve, pour over ice and top with a mint sprig. If desired, add a slug of rum to each glass.

SPICY GINGER SODA

Steps:

• Combine sugar, red pepper flakes, salt, ginger, and 2 cups water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat, cover, and steep for 30 minutes. Strain ginger syrup into a jar and chill. Fill a 12-ounce glass with ice cubes. Add 2 tablespoons ginger syrup, squeeze a lime wedge into glass, and top with soda water. Stir to combine. Repeat to make 11 more sodas.

HOMEMADE GINGER ALE

Steps:

• Into an empty 2-liter soda bottle, put the ginger root, sugar, yeast, and lemon juice. Fill the rest of the way with water. Screw the cap onto the bottle as tight as possible. Shake the bottle well, then leave at room temperature until the bottle is too hard to squeeze, about 2 days. Refrigerate. To serve, pour through a tea strainer.