That might not sound like much unless you too have been addicted to cola. If you are/were, you know how hard it is to give it up.
In the past I'd tried to stop drinking cola at home but thought I could still drink it when we went out to eat. I know now that isn't possible, at least for me. I had to do it cold turkey. And so far I've been successful. But oh, sometimes I miss those carbonated bubbles.
Soft drinks used to be good for you
Soft drinks actually began as medicinal drinks to cure ailments such as indigestion, headaches and psychological disorders. Eventually those non-FDA-approved "medicinal" ingredients had to be removed from the drinks, but flavored, carbonated beverages continued to gain popularity.
Nowadays commercial soft drinks are made from a list of chemicals that I can't even pronounce, with nothing good in them at all. I have no desire to pour these chemical brews down my throat any more!
Homemade ginger ale is still good for you
On the other side of the coin, ginger is well known for its anti-inflammatory properties and that it can help digestion, reduce nausea, lower blood sugar and cholesterol, fight the flu and colds, and can boost the immune system.
Ginger ale is simply ginger, filtered water, sugar and lemon juice. Yes, it does contain sugar, but the amount compared to a can of cola is much, much lower. The drink is then fermented and naturally carbonated.
How to make naturally-carbonated ginger ale
Although I don't use a lot of plastic in the kitchen anymore, this method of making ginger ale uses a 2-liter plastic bottle so you can test the amount of fermentation without worrying about the bottle exploding on your counter.
Ingredients
2 inches of fresh ginger
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup filtered water
Grate the ginger as fine as possible. Add ginger and sugar to the water in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat, cover and let steep for an hour.
Let the ginger tea cool to room temperature.
The spent ginger can be added to the compost pile.
Pour the liquid into the plastic bottle, using a funnel.
Add:
7 cups filtered water
1/8 tsp yeast
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Put the cap on the bottle, shake gently and leave at room temperature for 48 hours. Check the bottle by squeezing; if there isn't any give to the bottle, you might need to refrigerate before 48 hours.
Open the bottle to check the amount of carbonation and refrigerate when it has "enough." You can store the bottle in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, but open the bottle each day to let out excess carbonation.
How to store your natural ginger ale
Homemade ginger ale should be kept in the refrigerator and consumed within two weeks. Check the bottle daily and "burp" it if the plastic doesn't give at all when you try to squeeze it.
Success once again! If you like bubbles, try making this naturally-fermented ginger ale. Let me know how you like it.
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Funny you should post this today! You are not alone craving bubbles. Just today I was wishing I had something carbonated. I don't drink coke very often and don't have it around. I was thinking of getting some sparkling wTer. Maybe I will try this. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteNan, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one. This is really good and mine is always very fizzy.
DeleteI like 7up...helps my tummy, this just may be what I need!
ReplyDeleteIt does settle an upset stomach, and it tastes good. Different from 7Up but still delicious. Hubby says he can taste the lemon but I only taste the ginger. Why not give it a try? It's easy!
DeleteThanks for this recipe. We have a Soda Stream which we use for plain carbonated water. I am thinking of using the 'tea' part of your recipe to make ginger ale. I can just add some of it to my water after I carbonate it. yum!!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds delicious - and fast!
DeleteWhat type of yeast do you use? Thanks for sharing, looks super fun to try!!
ReplyDeleteI keep a jar of Red Star yeast in the refrigerator for making bread. I used a pinch of that.
DeleteWhat kind of yeast do you use?
ReplyDeleteRed star bread yeast.
DeleteHow very interesting. I'm not much of a pop drinker (I tend to love very sweet iced tea) but this sounds like a great alternative.
ReplyDeleteThis isn't overly sweet but it's very good. :-)
Deleteits really nice!
ReplyDeleteIt's delicious, Bacheca.
DeleteThank you for this. I, too, was a huge coca cola drinker but stopped about 10 years ago because of all of the toxic ingredients in it. I did find a recipe for a similar tasting drink, but it has about 200 ingredients in it to get that cola taste!!! ( all organic, natural ingredients, though). This looks MUCH simpler!!!
ReplyDeleteCarol L
Definitely simpler than that, Carol!
DeleteThis looks so yum. What a lovely idea, and I bet it tastes amazing.
ReplyDeleteIt does!
DeleteI use lime instead of lemon and it tastes more like ginger ale.
ReplyDeleteThat really sounds good. I love lime juice. Thank you.
DeleteYou may have just helped finish my struggle to kick the soda habit! I have cut back a lot but still haven't quit it completely! I'll be giving this a try! Thanks for sharing on the Homesteader Hop!
ReplyDeleteI sincerely hope it helps you too, Staci!
DeleteThis sounds WONDERFUL!! I never knew ginger ale was naturally carbonated! It was my Daddy's favorite drink, now that I've learned this I wonder if he loved it cause his mom made it on their homestead when he was a kid!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful thought, Michelle. It could be!
DeleteLooks great! Hubby loves ginger ale and was looking over my shoulder while I was reading so now he wants to make it! lol
ReplyDeleteI hope he loves it!
DeleteI'm going to make this tomorrow and hide it to surprise my husband! He loves old fashioned ginger ail, but complains that the regular stuff is too sweet. He will love this! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThat's so sweet of you, Anne. He'll love it!
DeleteI am DEFINITELY making this! Thank you so much for sharing on the Homestead Blog Hop. I hope we see more this Wednesday :-)
ReplyDeleteI hope you love it as much as I do, Kelly!
DeleteI love ginger beer/ale and really must make some again ... such an easy way to get fizzy drinks without resorting to buying overly sweet stuff in plastic bottles! #WasteLessWednesday
ReplyDeleteIt certainly is easy, that's for sure, and it tastes so good.
DeleteThere is something so wonderful about bubbles - and I'm so glad you shared this post on how to make them naturally with us at Hearth and Soul, Kathi. Scheduled to share on the Hearth and Soul Facebook page. Your Ginger Ale sounds delicious!
ReplyDeleteBubbles and fizz, that's what it's all about! :-) Thank you so much for sharing, April.
DeleteThis looks like a great idea! I definitely want to try it. I'm wondering if it tastes more like "Vernors", which we have in Michigan, or like "Schweppe's" ginger ale, which is a lighter flavor than Vernors? I will be trying it with lime juice, as someone posted, hoping that it is similar to our favorite Vernors flavor. :-)
ReplyDeleteI've never tried Vernors and my last taste of Schweppe's was a dozen or so years ago, so I really can't say. Let me know after you taste it!
DeleteSounds interesting. I'm going to give it a try. - Margy
ReplyDeleteIt's delicious, Margy!
DeleteYeah!! It's delicious.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you like it, Bobby.
DeleteSounds like a great recipe for a classic beverage ,thanks for positing this, gonna give it a try soon
DeleteLove this & will be giving it a try! Pinned :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you love it, and thank you for the Pin.
DeleteI've never heard of this! My family loves kombucha, but I get tired of it sitting on the counter looking so gross! I am going to try this! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI hope you and your family love it, Jenn. It's delicious and it doesn't look weird, LOL.
DeleteFor a Paleo version, I'm wondering if I can substitute honey for the sugar?
ReplyDeleteSome readers have told me they've done that successfully. I haven't tried it yet.
DeleteI got tired of icky sweet sodas a long time ago. However, I do sometimes crave the bubbles too and when I do I reach for the fruit flavored sugar free soda waters. Not sure if they're a whole lot better for you though, other than being sugar free, and pretty pricey. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of ginger ale. I'm wondering though, since it's the sugar and yeast that makes the bubbles, if I strained the juice of some pieces of fresh fruit (strawberry, rasberry) through the cloth, would I get fruit flavored carbonated water? I'll have to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteThat's worth a try! You could also flavor the ginger ale with fruit, maybe you'd like it that way.
DeleteWhy a plastic bottle? Can it be done with a glass bottle? Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteThe plastic bottle expands as the carbonation increases, making it easy to tell when the ginger ale is "done". A glass jar could explode... but yes, you could use glass with caution.
DeleteCould I use Stevie instead of sugar? My guy will only drink diet gingerale.
ReplyDeleteI've never tried using stevia. Why not give it a try?
DeleteHi Norell and Kathi, I'm Carl. I'm a diabetic and have been recently researching alternative eats and drinks. First, Kathi I must try this. I just bought a bottle of Vernors, historically my favorite sodapop/ginger ale, I looked at the ingredients and found it does not contain ginger anymore, I'm a little disheartened by that. Second, Norell, I've researched sweet ears, stevia is 200 times sweeter than sugar as are most artificial sweeteners. They trigger a response in the body that calls for more insulin than is necessary which wears on the pancreas and can cause insulin resistance, essentially type 2 diabetes. If he isnt already diabetic, beg your man to stop the diet pop drinking. Being sugar free is a marketing gimmick that sounds good to the public, it just makes the drink cheaper so they can make more profit on it. Soda bottles are not concerned with their customers health, it's the bottom line that matters.
DeleteI totally agree, Carl. They're not at all concerned with our health - artificial sweeteners are BAD for you. Are they truly just using "natural flavorings" now instead of ginger? That's crazy.
DeleteMake it from scratch. It's delicious and good for you!
Sounds great. You said, previously, that you use red star bread yeast, but what exactly is that - active dry, instant, rapid rise, or fresh yeast? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI believe I have active dry yeast, but I'm told that yeast is really hard to find right now so if you have a different kind, use it. I don't think it really matters what kind you use, although it might ferment a little slower or faster depending on what type you have.
DeleteA tip: I buy yeast by the jar and keep it in the freezer. I keep a small amount (about 1/2 cup) in another jar in the refrigerator, which I refill from the jar in the freezer when it gets low. When the freezer jar is less than half full, I buy another jar and keep it in the freezer too.
Hi, Kathi! I am wondering if you have tried this with honey instead of sugar? I'm thinking I'm going to give it a try!
ReplyDeleteHi, Miss Robbie. I haven't tried using honey instead of sugar. If you give it a try, please let us know the results.
DeleteQuick question please. Is this alcoholic?
ReplyDeleteNo, Evie, it isn't alcoholic. You'll know that for sure when you open and smell it. There is no alcoholic smell at all.
Delete