House Ginger Ale, Third Batch
Drinks
ZeroProof

House Ginger Ale, Third Batch

A brighter fizz with more bite and less sugar.

Time
5 min
Makes
12 servings
Difficulty
Medium
Glass
Highball
Crowd

Method

1

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.

2

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.

3

Stir honey into the hot tea until dissolved. Add lemon juice, lime juice, and salt. Cool to room temperature.

4

Strain in the ginger bug liquid (about 1 cup). Pour into clean swing-top bottles, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Seal.

5

Ferment at room temperature for 48-72 hours. Start checking at 48 hours — when the bottles feel rock-hard, move to the fridge.

6

To serve: pour 1 part ginger ale over ice, top with 1 part club soda. Garnish with a lime wedge.

From the kitchen

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.

Story so far
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.