Ginger is my absolute favorite spice. The smell of ginger always reminds me of my Mom. When I was a teenager my Mom and I would visit health food stores to try different healthy foods and we almost always bought candied ginger to snack on in the car. I love how a certain smell triggers such strong memories. If you were curious about how that works, check out this article at How Stuff Works called How Smell Works.
I made this ginger syrup last week and brought it to Cape Cod with us and everyone tried out the homemade ginger ale. My daughter loved it and even said that it tasted better than Canada Dry. My son tried it but only once and my husband complained that he only had a couple of sips before all the ginger syrup was gone. He described it as ginger ale with an extra kick. It was so good that I can’t wait to pick up some more ginger-root so I can make more ginger syrup. This recipe is from One Perfect Bite, a beautiful blog with some awesome recipes.
Homemade Ginger Ale and Candied Ginger (adapted from One Perfect Bite)
- 1 1/2 cups ginger, peeled and thinly sliced in 1/8 to 1/4-inch slices
- 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided use
- 2 cups water
- 1 quart club soda
- Optional garnish: lime slices, mint sprigs
To make ginger ale: Combine ginger, 1 cup sugar and water in a saucepan. Simmer slowly for 1 to 2 hours, until sugar is dissolved and ginger is softened. Strain warm syrup and allow to cool. (I placed the syrup in a measuring cup in the fridge because I was impatient.) Save the ginger pieces to make crystallized ginger. Fill a tall glass with ice, add mint sprig and lime slices, 2 ounces ginger syrup and 6 ounces of club soda. Use more syrup if desired. Stir.
To make candied ginger: Line a cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper. Place a cooling rack on top. Place reserved 1/2 cup sugar in bowl. Toss ginger in sugar and dry on rack for 1 to 2 days. Store in airtight container or a zip lock bag for up to 3 months.
In case you don't know what to look for... this is what ginger root looks like.
Peeled ginger looks very much like potatoes.
Again, I was impatient for this recipe and only simmered the syrup for about 1 hour.
I didn't measure the syrup to club soda ratio and just mixed to taste.
This is a incredibly delicious drink. I almost don't want to buy ginger ale from the store again. I'll be trying to make cream soda next and looking for instructions for real root beer.
I’ve toyed with making my own ginger ale but never have. Sounds so refreshing.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the ginger ale. Thanks so much for the link back to my blog. It is appreciated as are your kind words. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings…Mary
I should try this out. It looks fantastic and so easy!
Thanks for commenting on my post so that I could find your lovely blog! You make the kind of food I like to eat.
I’ve been thinking about making ginger ale for a long time but haven’t gotten around to it…this may be just the push I needed. Love the lime on top!
If your looking for root beer and other soda recipes, may I recommed leeners.com? We have various recipes and kits and supplies for soda making as well as other food stuffs.
Thank you
So Janna, what exactly do you do to make the candied Ginger? Just put the boiled/syrup pieces on a cookie sheet and coat with sugar? Then sit for a few days? No baking or anything? Does it stay out on counter? or fridge? or what? Thanks! B
Yes… just take the ginger after it’s been boiled for the syrup and coat it in sugar. Place them on a rack over a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and leave on the counter for 2 days. No baking. The ginger will drip some of the syrup onto the paper and after it’s dried it is like ginger candy. You should save that too. It’ll just peel off the paper. It might be quicker for you in New Mexico since it’s so dry there. The first time I made it I left it out for 3 days because it was rainy. I made it again this weekend and it dried really quickly because it’s so hot.
If we’re going off of dry heat, mine should be ready in a couple hours. Heee heee. Thanks for your help!
Thanks for the recipe. I had bookmarked it to try some day and when my husband came down with a stomach bug, I was so glad I had it. We didn’t have club soda so we just added it to regular ginger ale. He even took small jars of the syrup with him to work.
The candied ginger is so delicious. I added it to Cape Breton oatcakes (a recipe similar to yours) and the ginger makes those oatcakes so yummy
Thanks again!
Great idea about using it in the oatcakes. I may try that this weekend.