Carbonate Your Own Ginger Ale Food

GINGER ALE

Steps:

• Place the ginger, sugar, and 1/2 cup of the water into a 2-quart saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to steep for 1 hour.
• Pour the syrup through a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl, pressing down to get all of the juice out of the mixture. Chill quickly by placing over and ice bath and stirring or set in the refrigerator, uncovered, until at least room temperature, 68 to 72 degrees F.
• Using a funnel, pour the syrup into a clean 2-liter plastic bottle and add the yeast, lemon juice and remaining 7 cups of water. Place the cap on the bottle, gently shake to combine and leave the bottle at room temperature for 48 hours. Open and check for desired amount of carbonation. It is important that once you achieve your desired amount of carbonation that you refrigerate the ginger ale. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, opening the bottle at least once a day to let out excess carbonation.

CARBONATE YOUR OWN GINGER ALE

Steps:

• For equipment, you will need a clean 2-liter plastic soft drink bottle with cap (do not use glass as there is a risk of explosion),
• a grater (preferably with fine "cutting" teeth, and a funnel.
• Put the sugar into the bottle using the funnel. (Leave the funnel in place until you are ready to cap the bottle.).
• Add baker's yeast, also through the funnel.
• Shake to mix the yeast grains with the sugar granules.
• Place grated ginger into a Pyrex measuring cup or similar.
• Juice a whole lemon. Lemon is optional, giving a little tartness to the ginger ale. Try it both ways to see which you prefer.
• Add the juice of a whole lemon to the grated ginger in the measuring cup. Stir to form a slurry.
• Add the slurry to the bottle. It may stick in the funnel. Don't worry, the next step will wash it into the bottle.
• Rinse containers with fresh clean water, and dump the water into the bottle, trying to wash any particles sticking to the funnel into the bottle.
• Fill the bottle to the neck with fresh cool clean water, leaving about an inch of head space, securely screw cap down to seal. Invert repeatedly to thoroughly dissolve sugar.
• Place in a warm location for 24 to 48 hours. (Do not leave at room temperature longer than necessary to feel "hard." The excess pressure may cause an eruption when you open it, or even explode the bottle!).
• Test to see if carbonation is complete by squeezing the bottle forcefully with your thumb. If it dents in as in the picture, it is not ready.
• Once the bottle feels hard to a forceful squeeze, usually only 24-48 hours, place in the refrigerator. Before opening, refrigerate at least overnight to thoroughly chill. Crack the lid of the thoroughly chilled ginger ale just a little to release the pressure slowly. You do not want a ginger ale fountain!
• Do not leave the finished ginger ale in a warm place any longer than the time it takes for the bottle to feel hard. Leaving it at room temperature longer than two days, especially in the summer when the temperature is high, can generate enough pressure to explode the bottle. Once it is thoroughly chilled, there is little danger of explosion.
• Filter the ginger ale through a strainer if you find floating pieces of ginger objectionable. These are found in the first glass or two poured, and, since most of the ginger sinks to the bottom, the last glass or so may require filtering too. Rinse the bottle out immediately after serving the last of the batch.

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).