Fresh ginger syrup , lime and cold seltzer make this ginger ale without a fermentation step. The publisher estimates about 1 1/2 cups syrup; measure what you recover rather than promising a fixed number of glasses.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups (7 ounces / about 198 g) peeled, chopped fresh ginger
  • 2 cups water
  • 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 small pinch kosher salt
  • Per drink: 1/4 cup chilled prepared ginger syrup
  • Per drink: 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
  • Per drink: 3/4 cup chilled seltzer or club soda
  • Per drink: 1/2 cup ice and 1 lime wedge, optional

Method

  1. Wash the ginger before peeling. Put ginger and 2 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer, partially cover and cook 45 minutes. Remove from heat, cover fully and steep 20 minutes.
  2. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing the ginger, and discard solids. Return the liquid to the pan; add sugar and salt and warm with stirring until dissolved, about 2 to 5 minutes.
  3. Measure the recovered syrup. Transfer to a shallow heat-safe container and refrigerate promptly; an ice-water bath can speed cooling. Do not leave it at room temperature waiting to cool. Chill until cold, planning about 3 hours total from the start. Keep syrup covered at 40 F / 4 C or below and use within the publisher’s one-week refrigerated window; this is not our shelf-life test.
  4. For each drink, put ice in a 12- to 16-fluid-ounce glass. Stir 1/4 cup cold syrup with 1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice, add 3/4 cup cold seltzer gently, then serve with the optional lime wedge.

Yield and Adjustments

Each glass has 8 1/4 fluid ounces liquid before ice. About 1 1/2 cups syrup gives six glasses at 1/4 cup each; if evaporation or straining leaves only 1 cup, it gives four. Six glasses require 4 1/2 cups seltzer and 3 tablespoons lime juice. Do not assume the publisher’s approximate quart of seltzer covers six full glasses at this serving ratio.

Use 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice instead of lime per glass. For a gentler drink add 2 tablespoons extra seltzer; for more ginger add 1 tablespoon syrup; for extra citrus add 1/2 teaspoon juice. These measured house adjustments change the volume. Fresh ginger is the ingredient in the source method; powdered ginger is not an equivalent clear-syrup substitution. Seltzer and club soda both work; ginger beer may be fermented or commercially carbonated depending on the product.

Make Ahead

Epicurious gives a one-week refrigerated syrup window. Use a clean covered container at 40 F / 4 C or below and label the date. This is the publisher’s culinary storage guidance, not our shelf-life test. Keep soda separate and build drinks at service; discard syrup showing mold or unexpected fermentation. This recipe makes no nausea, digestive or other medical promise.

Sources and Review Limits

  • Epicurious Homemade Ginger Ale : Recovered syrup quantities, 45-minute simmer, 20-minute steep, individual assembly and one-week refrigerated publisher window.
  • FDA buffet guidance : Produce washing, thermometer-based cold/hot holding, small fresh service portions, 2-hour/1-hour disposal and shallow cooling; general guidance, not shelf-life validation.

These are source and measurement checks, not kitchen testing. House variations and short quality windows below have not been shelf-life tested.

Existing Styling Photos

The existing photos illustrate styling. Use the quantities, handling and serving method above. Bottles in photos do not provide fermentation instructions.