Method
Make the ginger bug: combine the grated ginger, 1/4 cup sugar, and 4 cups water in a glass jar. Cover with cheesecloth. Feed with 1 tsp ginger + 1 tsp sugar daily for 3 days. Bubbles = alive.
Day 3: make the ginger tea. Combine sliced ginger, 6 cups water, and 1/4 cup sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer 20 minutes. Strain.
Stir honey into the hot tea until dissolved. Add lemon juice, lime juice, and salt. Cool to room temperature.
Strain in the ginger bug liquid (about 1 cup). Pour into clean swing-top bottles, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Seal.
Ferment at room temperature for 48-72 hours. Start checking at 48 hours — when the bottles feel rock-hard, move to the fridge.
To serve: pour 1 part ginger ale over ice, top with 1 part club soda. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Day three is when the bug wakes up. You'll know — small bubbles cling to the sides of the jar, and a sniff smells like ginger beer, not ginger tea.
Homemade ginger ale lives or dies on the bug. A ginger bug is a fermented starter of grated ginger, sugar, and water, kept alive with daily feedings. Three days in, it's alive enough to carbonate a batch of sweetened ginger tea; five days in, it can carbonate anything. We split the difference here, fermenting 72 hours for a gentle fizz that finishes cleanly in the glass without being aggressive. The third batch also drops the simple syrup ratio from 1:1 to 1:1.5, which lets the ginger heat through the sweetness rather than getting buried under it. Drink it cold, with a lime wedge, on a hot afternoon. Strain before serving if you prefer it clear; we don't.