So I’m not sure if I let you in on another “secret” obsession of mine. I’ve definitely discussed my obsession with cranberries, and apples, and slow cooker recipes; but never seltzer. Ideally I’d have a seltzer moment every.single.day :) Here in Upstate, NY we have several brands like Polar and Poland Springs. Seltzer is truly amazing.
However, it wasn’t until I started to change my daily diet and eliminate sugar laden drinks, fruit juices, and sodas that I began to fall in love with seltzer and all its essence of fruit glory. I’m beyond stoked that did. You see seltzer is perfect because you get all the cool, crisp, and refreshing carbonated goodness that you crave from soda, without all the sugar and empty calories. Plus, seltzer is all natural. I like my seltzer plain or with fruit essence. But be forewarned, flavored sparkling water beverages are not the same as seltzer. Tonic water is not the same as seltzer. I could drone on and on for hours about the differences but I’ll save that for another post :)
For this post, I want to share with you my very first recipe for Homemade Ginger Ale. I stumbled across a recipe during a recent Pinterest session. Up until then I had never thought to make my own ginger ale. How did I not think to combine my love of seltzer with my love of ginger ale? Truly a travesty that needed to rectified and rectify is what I’ve done. This Gingerale recipe is super healthy, super natural, and packs a crisp refreshing bite that I’ve never gotten from even the best Gingerale (I know my gingerale like I know my seltzer). I love DIY drink recipes. You get to indulge in your favorites without all the added calories and sugar that most of the processed food (and drinks) we come to love contain. This ginger ale starts with real grated ginger root which is then steeped, strained, and added to plain seltzer water using a 3 to 1 ratio. In the end, you get a beautiful jar of ginger “syrup” which can be used as a tea or as the base for the ginger ale.
Ginger is a super root that aids in digestion , reducing inflammation, muscle pain, nausea, and cholesterol. This ginger ale certainly tastes cleaner and more refreshing than the brand name stuff you are used to. But then again anything homemade usually does. You can vary the level of sugar with stevia, honey, agave, or my favorite; just as it is. In true fashion I let nothing go to waste so the left over ginger root pulp was stashed in the freezer for a future recipe. How refreshing.
Healthy Homemade Gingerale adapted from Holistic Living
- 4 cups of water
- 1 1/2 cups peeled and grated ginger, about 2-3 medium ginger roots
- raw honey or liquid stevia (optional, to taste)
- 1 Liter seltzer water
- Juice of 1 lime or lemon (optional)
Preparation
- Put the water into a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil.
- Add the ginger once the water starts boiling.
- Lower the heat and let the ginger steep in hot water for at least 5 minutes. Remove from heat cover and allow to steep for at least 1 hour preferably overnight.
- Strain ginger water (syrup) with a kitchen strainer into a jar, setting ginger pulp to the side and freezing later.
- Add 1/3 cup of ginger water to a large mason jar and 2 cups of seltzer. Sweeten to taste or leave as it. Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice and ice.
Photo credit (bottom): Averie Cooks
