I love ginger ale. This delicious and refreshing beverage is packed with health-promoting nutrients, beneficial enzymes, and probiotics. So instead of grabbing a soda, try and make this natural and health-boosting alternative.
Ginger ale can be used as a tonic to cure digestive complaints such as cramps, upset stomach, gas, nausea, and bloating. If you are new to probiotics I’d suggest you start with small amounts and work your way up.
ALSO READ: Probiotics 101
Fizzy Ginger Ale aka Ginger Beer
Ingredients
- 2-inch piece fresh ginger root, minced (or to taste. We love a strong ginger taste and usually use a bit more)
- ½ cup raw organic sugar (to feed the friendly bacteria 😉 )
- ½ cup fresh lemon or lime juice
- ½ teaspoon salt (click here to learn more about which salt is best)
- 8 cups filtered water
- ½ cup homemade ginger bug (click here for the recipe) or ¼ cup whey (I prefer the taste of the ginger bug though)
FYI: the bacteria will feed on the sugar (lacto-fermentation process) and no sugar or very little of the sugar will remain in the end product!!!
How To…
- In a saucepan, bring 3 cups water, minced ginger, sugar, and salt to a boil.
- Simmer for 5 minutes, make sure all sugar is dissolved.
- Remove from heat and add the rest of the water. Make sure the mixture is at room temperature before you go any further. Adding the bug to the hot liquid will kill the beneficial bacteria.
- Add lemon juice and ginger bug. Stir well.
- Pour into a Mason jar with tight-fitting lid.
- Close the lid and incubate for 2 to 3 days on the counter until carbonated. Check regularly and do not let it become too fuzzy to avoid an exploding jar.
- Transfer to the fridge and it will last for ages.
- Strain before drinking.
To add even more flavor and nutrients you could add fresh apple juice just before serving. It’s a super yummy and refreshing combo.
Enjoy!
Important note: if you use whey, stir occasionally and keep a close look on it. It takes less time to ferment than a ginger bug and it also depends on the temperature. Regularly check the ale. It should bubble and hiss when you remove the lid.
Thanks for reading. I hope this information was helpful. Until next time!
Amy Goodrich
Crazy cat lady, life and food lover, certified biologist, and holistic health coach.
This looks amazing! I am definitely going to give it a go. Do you know which specific strains of bacteria this drink will have? Are they different to what you get in Kombucha?
Kombucha has its own unique bacteria. Ginger bug is a lacto-fermentation similar to cultured (coconut) yogurt or fermented vegetables. Good luck and I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. If you have fresh turmeric root, you can make the ginger bug with half turmeric and half ginger. Very yummy too!
I have a couple of questions. First, I plan to put my ginger ale into individual bottles. At what point do I strain out the minced ginger? Also, do you have bring the ginger bug back to room temp for a while before using it to make ginger ale? And last, please explain why using honey doesn’t work.
Hi Beth, The ginger bug must be alive and bubbling when you at it to the bottles. We actually leave the ginger in there. The bacteria seem to prefer sugar for their process instead of honey, I’ve tried both and honey didn’t work. Here is another recipe we often make: http://eatlove.live/turmeric-ginger-ale-soda/ You can strain the ginger and bug out of it if you like. Do this when the sodas starts fizzing. After straining close bottles again and allow for some fizz to build up again. Hope this helps!
Hi there I’m super excited to try this out
I’m just wondering after you’ve let it cool and mixed it all together do you put all of the mix in one Jar, or a few smaller jars to sit on the counter would it make any difference if it’s in multiple jars?
Also can it then be transferred into bottles before putting it in the fridge.
Hi Karyn, it doesn’t matter if you put them in separate bottles or jars. Just make sure to check them regularly to avoid an overbuildup of fizz. Make sure to burb the bottles often until the desired tartness. Bottles can explode when fizz builds-up! Good luck!