Homemade Ginger Ale Recipe

Did you know you can make homemade ginger ale in 8 days or less? Most families have an ample supply of ginger ale on-hand during the winter because it helps sooth upset stomachs, is a popular holiday mixer and it's a favorite among kids (thank goodness it's caffeine-free). 

Here are just some of the many benefits to making your own ginger ale:

• It reduces waste; no cans needed here.
• You can custom flavor it with pomegranate, extra ginger, cranberry, rosemary or whatever else you fancy. 
• You can reduce the amount of sugar without having to consume aspartame found in store-bought diet sodas.
• It's a great conversation starter if you're hosting a party (and makes for an interesting host/hostess gift if you're attending one).

The only downside to homemade ginger ale is that it should be stored in the fridge. If you live somewhere with a cold climate in the winter, you can improvise and can store it in another cool space, like your garage. Here's how to make it with Masontops fermentation tools, based on a Cultures for Health adaptation... 

Ingredients 

• 1 gallon of chlorine-free/filtered water 
• 1 1/4 cups of sugar (cane is recommended)
• 1 large ginger root, peeled and grated (approx. 4 inches long)
• 3/4 cups of whey or water kefir* 

*If you want to use water kefir but have never made it, check out our Rocky Mountain Water Kefir Grains and our Kefirko, the easiest device to make water kefir in.

Recommended Tools

• Large pot
• 4 quart sized Mason jars with bands
• 4 Pickle Pipe airlock tools
• Reusable plastic beverage bottles with caps 

Instructions 

1. Boil water and grated ginger together for 3 minutes and stir.
2. Remove pot from heat and stir in sugar until dissolved and let cool to room temperature. Once cool, stir in whey or water kefir.
3. Pour into Mason jars and add your Pickle Pipes, spout up, securing them with the Mason jar band. Leave the jars in a cool, dark place for 2 - 6 days (until the water becomes fizzy).
4. Once fizzy, strain out the ginger (optional) and pour into beverage bottles. Tightly cap them and leave out in room temperature for 1 - 2 days before moving to the fridge.

And that's it! If you want to add in some additional flavors, we recommend doing this during step 1. If you happen to use glass bottles, please do not leave the bottles out in step 4: move them straight to the fridge. If the ginger ale continues to ferment and subsequently build up more carbonation, the glass may explode! 

Let us know if you've ever made ginger ale before and if you prefer using water kefir or whey. 

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