Before I made this Homemade Ginger Ale, I had a bone to pick with a certain ginger ale company over their commercials. You may know them—they show people frolicking in fields (of ginger, apparently), bending down, and pulling up a plant to discover a sparkling can of ginger ale attached at the root. When I saw one of those commercials, I thought to myself, “yum!” It had been a few years since I had ginger ale, so I tried a swig the next chance I got.

The verdict? Underwhelming. It tasted watered down and overly sweet with maybe a faint hint of ginger flavor. I remember liking ginger ale as a child, so maybe my tastes have changed. But I was not a fan. If it has ginger in the title, I want to taste ginger! I love the zip that fresh ginger will give you—that warm zing that hits you in the back of the throat.

So since the store-bought ginger ale wasn’t doing it for me, I set out to make this Homemade Ginger Ale. The process is simple and quick—make a ginger simple syrup, and pour club soda over the top. That’s it! And it’s just four ingredients: sugar, water, ginger, and club soda.

You may notice something missing from this ginger ale. Perhaps its color? The finished beverage looks like straight up club soda. The truth is, commercially made ginger ale has color added. The ginger syrup that I used for this recipe is the color of store-bought ginger ale, but once you add club soda, it looks almost clear. But the taste is so much better.

The recipe makes a little over 1 cup of ginger simple syrup. I suggest starting with two tablespoons of simple syrup in each glass, and pouring the club soda over it. Taste, and then add more if you’d like it sweeter or with more ginger flavor. The simple syrup will keep in the fridge for a month or two.

Homemade Ginger Ale is perfect for sipping on all summer long!

Homemade Ginger Ale

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Crisp, cool, and refreshing, this homemade ginger ale is perfect for a warm day. And it’s made with just 4 ingredients!

Author: kate shungu
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
Category: beverage

Scale

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch coins
1 (2-liter) bottle club soda
To garnish: fresh mint

Instructions

Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Add the ginger and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 20 minutes.
Strain the ginger syrup into a bowl and transfer to a mason jar or a similar jar with a lid. Discard the ginger coins. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Pour 2–3 tablespoons of the ginger syrup into a tall glass. Pour 8–10 ounces of club soda over the top. Stir gently to combine. Add ice and serve with mint garnish.

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