Ginger – from root to ale

On why you can and should make your own ginger ale.

Ginger has to be magic… It’s also the main ingredient to my favourite cookie/biscuit. Quick side note… here in South Africa (and particularly for Afrikaans speakers), we don’t make a differentiation between a cookie and a biscuit. To us, a cookie and a biscuit is the same thing, even though we have two words for it (it is a theme in this language). In Afrikaans, a beskuitjie is the fancy word for koekie. However, beskuit is a rusk, but beskuitjie is not a small rusk, it is a cookie… Yes, it is weird.

I also have a thing for ginger ale. I consume way too much of the stuff, and it’s getting bloody expensive, nevermind all the sugar and non-recyclable plastic.

But back to the ginger biscuit. My grandmother made the most incredible ginger biscuits. The balance between sweetness and gingerness was pure alchemy, AND when you looked closely, you could see the sugar granules inside the biscuit! That has to be some voodoo magic, right? Giving them a quick dunk in sweet milky rooibos tea, now that was the shit. Luckily my mom got the recipe and could satisfy my insatiable appetite for the world’s best gemmerkoekie. In case you are confused, this post is about ginger (ale), not the cookies, but the ingredient and the ginger ale I make from it.

Ginger?

Ginger (or ginger root) is a flowering plant that belongs to the Zingiberaceae family that originated in Southeast Asia. Ginger is closely related to turmeric, cardamom (that was a surprise), and galangal (a root that looks just like ginger but has a sharp citrusy, almost piney flavour). The stuff is a common spice used dry, powdered, fresh, or as oil and juice. It is a common ingredient in many cuisines and even added to cosmetics and medicines. 

Remember I said ginger is magic? The stuff is like Gummybear Juice in root form. It has health benefits as long as my arm. Ginger used to be on the cheapish side and an easily attainable ingredient, which made it perfect for home remedies. Some health benefits of ginger include;

• Reducing the effects of nausea (if you are pregnant, you may want to read this).
• It could play a role in weight loss (YAY!).
• Some studies have suggested ginger can help reduce the symptoms of osteoarthritis.
• Ginger can help treat indigestion.
• Some studies suggest ginger is effective against menstrual pain when taken at the beginning of the menstrual period (like seriously, this is not fake news!). 

Healthline wrote an article with links to real studies (because fact-checking is life) about the benefits of ginger. It’s a good read, rather staccato, but hey, science (and the medical field in particular) isn’t known for its poetic writing. Give it a read.

The little root is so magic it even caused some controversy. In a country where quality medical care is a luxury commodity, many people turn to home remedies to help out. During the pandemic, people turned to ginger, garlic, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and lemon for their cost-effective immune-boosting properties. The price of ginger skyrocketed during the summer months in South Africa, resulting in an investigation by the National Consumer Commission. Even I coughed up an obscene amount of money for a smallish piece of ginger because I add it to my juices, food, salad dressings…and I had to try to make ginger ale.

Ginger ale

I drink a lot of ginger ale. It’s wonderful in cocktails, as a hangover cure (with a shot of whiskey), and when late summer arrives, nothing’s better for a desert-thirst than a glass of ice-cold ginger ale. However, I’m not a fan of carbonated drinks, or drinks with loads of sugar, or drinks that come in plastic bottles that are almost impossible to recycle. So I started wondering whether I can make ginger ale? I want to be very clear about this. I want to make ginger ale, not ginger beer. The beer version is only made for hot December holidays, made by my dad. No, I wanted ginger ale. 

I got some ginger, chopped it up, added water, boiled it, strained it, boiled it again, added coconut blossom sugar, boiled it once again (soooooo much boiling), tasted it, and realised it isn’t bad, but not great. I suspected I added too much sweetener to the first batch. I also forgot to take notes and never took photos of the end product.

For the second batch, I came prepared. This batch is gingery (very gingery), the colour is better, it’s not sweet…overall this is good. I had a glass earlier (to take a photo). But later, when I had the last of the store-bought stuff, it tasted chemically enhanced. Crap, I hope I didn’t ruin ginger ale for myself.

Here are a couple of points to keep in mind when you make this recipe.

• The quality of ginger vary. Some batches may be very gingery, and others less so.
• Ginger is seasonal, and during summer in SA, the stuff is pricey.
• Wash your hands after you’ve worked with ginger. Like chilli, it will burn the living crap out of you when you touch your eyes.

The actual recipe…

Ok, now you can have ginger ale without the nasties whenever you want. It’s simple and incredibly satisfying to make and have your own. AND it’s bloody healthy!