Ginger beer is something I’ve been wanting to try making for years, and even though I knew it was relatively simple, I just never got around to doing it! My day finally came two weeks ago when I had yet another Ethnic Potluck with the team from Ayden Kitchen & Bar (you may remember the last Ethnic Potluck via my Banh Mi). This time I was in charge for making a dish from Jamaica!
After travelling to Jamaica last year for a wedding, I thought it was quite fitting that I had drawn it for the potluck! At our previous Ethnic Potluck, the Jamaican contribution was Beef Patties, so I knew I had to do the other obvious Jamaican classic: Jerk Chicken!
With Jamaica on my mind, I realized Ginger Beer would be the perfect addition to my chicken, so I finally decided to give it a try! Had I known how easy and delicious it was going to be, I would have made it a long time ago!
Homemade Ginger Beer
Ingredients
- 1.5 litres 6 cups of boiling water
- 1/2 cup of grated ginger
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3/4 tsp active dry yeast
Instructions
- Stir active dry yeast into about 1/2 a cup of warm water. Allow it to sit for about 20 minutes until the water gets foamy.
- Grate a 1/2 cup of ginger.
- In a heat-proof container or mixing bowl, combine the sugar, ginger, lemon juice and 1.5 litres of boiling water, stirring to mix everything together.
- Once the sugar has dissolved, allow the water to cool for about 15 minutes, add the yeast water, and funnel it into an airtight bottle or container (I used a wine bottle and cork, but old soda bottles would work too).
- Seal the bottle, and allow to sit at room temperature for 1-2 days.
- Strain ginger beer into bottles, and chill before serving!
That’s all there is to it! I have made this twice now, and the first time I used twice as much sugar, but found it to be way too sweet for my liking. I would definitely recommend tweaking the recipe according to your taste! Whether that be adding more ginger, more (or less) sugar, more lemon, or perhaps other citrus like lime, or maybe even orange. Play around with it, have some fun, and enjoy this gingery delight!
Bob