recipe: ginger syrup
I read of this earlier in the month. As I have a soda maker, I immediately made a batch. It is delicious with any kind of citrus juice, but probably best with lime. I made my aunt a bottle when she had a family brunch for my cousin's visit earlier in the month, and I added a bottle to my brother's Christmas present. I've got another bottle in the fridge ready to take to our friends' New Year's Eve party. I've had my soda maker for a several years, but all three of them just got theirs this year, since it became more widely available in the city.
This makes a spicy ginger syrup. If you're not into that and want to take the edge off the heat, you can boil the ginger alone for two minutes before changing the water and adding the sugar. But if you do that, I question whether you actually like ginger.
Fresh Ginger Syrup
Bruce Cost, via David Lebovitz
Makes 2 cups
8 oz. fresh ginger root
2 cups sugar
4 cups water
pinch salt
You can peel the ginger or not; it just makes the syrup darker if you leave it on. Slice the ginger root into coins and the slice across the pile in multiple directions to make many small pieces. Place in a non-reactive pot with sugar, water, and salt, stir and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat to a level to maintain a slow boil and cook until reduced to 2 cups. (Yes, pour it out and measure, and put it back and keep cooking if it's not reduced enough. Maybe this is obvious to you, but I only started doing this in the last year for recipes that say "cook until reduced by half" or whatever.) This will take an hour or longer depending on just how slow your boil is, and how wide your pot is. Strain the ginger pieces out with a mesh sieve, cool, and store in a jar or bottle in the fridge. Should keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge. Even with a very fine mesh strainer (like one I use to skim fat off stock,) there will probably still be stuff that settles, so stir before pouring for each use.
For ways to use up the cooked ginger bits, see David's recipe head notes. Maybe I'll do one of those things at some point, but with the amount I've made thus far, I haven't saved any of it.
To make ginger soda, pour a generous amount in the bottom of the glass. Add a slug or good squeeze of citrus juice, preferably lime, add ice if desired and top with soda water. This is very much a "to taste" type of drink, but use a larger amount of syrup than you would for most cordials. David said 1/3 of the glass with syrup. I pour about 1/5 syrup. Citrus is just as discretionary. I think I get about 3 drinks per lime.
This syrup also has great cocktail mixing and fruit dessert potential.
This makes a spicy ginger syrup. If you're not into that and want to take the edge off the heat, you can boil the ginger alone for two minutes before changing the water and adding the sugar. But if you do that, I question whether you actually like ginger.
Fresh Ginger Syrup
Bruce Cost, via David Lebovitz
Makes 2 cups
8 oz. fresh ginger root
2 cups sugar
4 cups water
pinch salt
You can peel the ginger or not; it just makes the syrup darker if you leave it on. Slice the ginger root into coins and the slice across the pile in multiple directions to make many small pieces. Place in a non-reactive pot with sugar, water, and salt, stir and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat to a level to maintain a slow boil and cook until reduced to 2 cups. (Yes, pour it out and measure, and put it back and keep cooking if it's not reduced enough. Maybe this is obvious to you, but I only started doing this in the last year for recipes that say "cook until reduced by half" or whatever.) This will take an hour or longer depending on just how slow your boil is, and how wide your pot is. Strain the ginger pieces out with a mesh sieve, cool, and store in a jar or bottle in the fridge. Should keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge. Even with a very fine mesh strainer (like one I use to skim fat off stock,) there will probably still be stuff that settles, so stir before pouring for each use.
For ways to use up the cooked ginger bits, see David's recipe head notes. Maybe I'll do one of those things at some point, but with the amount I've made thus far, I haven't saved any of it.
To make ginger soda, pour a generous amount in the bottom of the glass. Add a slug or good squeeze of citrus juice, preferably lime, add ice if desired and top with soda water. This is very much a "to taste" type of drink, but use a larger amount of syrup than you would for most cordials. David said 1/3 of the glass with syrup. I pour about 1/5 syrup. Citrus is just as discretionary. I think I get about 3 drinks per lime.
This syrup also has great cocktail mixing and fruit dessert potential.