Looks just like store bought, right?
Everything you'll need for a refreshing drink
Three days later, I was in the kitchen whipping up something for dinner. I had set Sydney in her crib where she was unhappily "taking a nap" (safely screaming her healthy little lungs out); she had been on me all day long and while I was enjoying the bonding time, being glued to the couch is not my m.o. Then it occurred to me that I had two liters of something I never thought I'd be making at home: crisp and fizzy pale-hued ginger ale. I unearthed the emerald plastic 2 liter from the freezer, undid the lid slowly and slightly to check for pressure, but nothing happened; to be honest, it looked flat. Assuming the best and anticipating a quick cool drink, I twist the lid of and BANG! Let's just say, everything in the kitchen including from ceiling to floor was saturated in sticky ginger sugar water. So much for sitting down with a plate of hot food and chilly pop. Time to revisit the drawing board...
Ginger, lemon juice, and lemon zest "slurry"
I've been intrigued by this sweet peppery elixer for a while now, although I've mostly only had the store bought stuff that's widely available to the masses. One day my hubby brought home a four pack of Bundaberg Ginger Beer and my lips have been smacking after that bitey gingery spice ever since. On the occasion that I had all of this ginger to spare, I decided to search for a recipe and try my hand at a home brewed version. To follow is a pleasantly simple recipe and directions for what might be your very own first bottle of home brewed ginger ale. If done carefully, but not enough to pull your hair out, you'll find the results to be pleasantly sweet with just enough bite and flavor from the ginger that warms your throat all the way down while cooling you off in the most superlative way. Just do your self a favor and take off the lid with WAY more caution than I did (like, go outside, don some safety goggles and duck for cover. Juuuuuuuust kidding). Happy brewing.
Combining water with the sugar, yeast, grated ginger and lemon. Get ready to shake and shimmy that bottle!
Adapted from a recipe by David B. Fankhauser ( http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/cheese/ginger_ale_ag0.htm )
Equipment:
Microplate or fine-hole grater
A 2 - liter plastic soda bottle (NOT glass, which might shatter all over you as pressure builds inside)
Spouted pouring vessel (like a large measuring cup)
Measuring spoons (1/4 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon, to be exact)
Medium funnelFine mesh strainer/sieve
Ingredients:
1 c white sugar*
1/4 tsp baker's yeast (the dry granulated stuff. Got mine in bulk from Smart and Final for a wallet-load less than what you spend at the supermarket)
1 lemon (about 1/4 lb in weight), zested and juiced
Filtered water**
* I used what I had on hand, but the original recipe asked for cane sugar. I imagine brown sugar could be used too, and that it would give the ginger ale a color similar to that of the store brand stuff. Never tried it, but plan to and will let you all know.
** Again, I used what I had on hand, but the recipe asked for "cold, fresh pure water". I've heard it said that the cleaner the water, the better the final product, but I'm cheap and lazy and yeah. So there.
Directions:
1. Measure sugar and yeast, pour into clean dry bottle and shake to combine.
2. Grate approximately 1.5 tablespoons/2 inches of peeled ginger into pouring vessel (I eye balled, but you can measure if you really want to be that careful). Add lemon juice and zest and swish to combine then pour into soda bottle via funnel.
3. Fill bottle with water, leaving at least 2 inches of head space. This is your insurance policy against over flowing while the yeast and sugar do their magical thing and create carbonation.
4. Shake until sugar is mostly dissolved (will look like cloudy dish water); place in warm location (i.e. top of fridge, most used bathroom, etc.) for at least 24 and no more than 48 hours or until you can't press the sides of the bottle in at all.
5. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or until very cold. THIS is where caution should be used in opening the bottle as there is no telling how much pressure has built up inside. Just like opening a regular soda bottle, crack it open a tiny bit, turning the lid slowly while watching for bubbles/carbonation. If you see anything crazy happening, quickly tighten lid and carefully try again.
Recipe yields 2 liters (after filtering)
Update (6/17/11)
ReplyDeleteI didn't let the last batch of ginger ale sit out long enough, so it turned out a little flatter than the first batch (hey, no volcanic eruption this time; ya!). The little bit that was poured out and served was by no means wasted, as I have a thirsty 9 year old that loves soda in all of its forms. Disappointed, I took the bottle out of the fridge and left it on the counter for about 3 days at room temperature. When I finally found the time, I mixed 1/3 c white sugar and 1/4 tsp of yeast in a clean soda bottle and poured the remainder of the batch over top. But when I did this, I felt the spray of tiny popping bubbles cover my face as the liquid drained down the funnel; the soda had recarbonated itself as it sat out! Wow, this stuff really is magical - re-fizzying soda! So there you have it: if you find yourself at the end of the process with a flat/boring bottle of ginger ale, just let that sucker sit out for a bit, give the bottle a squeeze to ensure its pressurized/carbonated and refrigerate. Will report back to you on how my newly fizzy second batch came out!