Ginger beer is a popular beverage that originated in the Caribbean and is now enjoyed the world over. Its been around so long there are hundreds of recipes out there. Some require fermentation, and some don’t. The following recipe is a non-alcoholic version given to me by a Jamaican friend. It’s extremely easy to make, incredibly delicious, and only requires 3 ingredients:
- Ginger
- Brown Sugar
- Water
To make a gallon you’ll need at least 2lbs of fresh ginger. The bigger the pieces the better, you’ll have to peel it all when you get home. Peeling ginger is much easier than peeling potatoes. The skin is delicate enough to scrape off with a kitchen knife but whittling around a hundred scraggly knobs gets old quick. To make life easier, look for the biggest most bulbous ginger roots and to avoid slicing yourself to pieces, use a paring knife.
After peeling, throw the ginger in a blender, add water, then puree. Depending on how much ginger you’re working with and how big your blender is, you may have to do this several times. Fill it up, puree, then dump the contents into a gallon pitcher until you’re done. Next grab another gallon pitcher, a strainer, and a spatula or wooden spoon. Place the spatula on top of the pitcher and pour in the ginger puree. Mush the juice out of the pulp then throw it in the trash. Keep doing this until you’re done.
Now all you have to do is add brown sugar and water to taste. I like my ginger beer concentrated so I never add much water. I usually throw in a cup or two of brown sugar, it all depends on how I’m feeling at the moment. When you’ve got your ginger beer is tasting how you like grab a cup of ice, pour a glass, and enjoy. This is a healthy beverage depending on how much sugar you use but the incredibly powerful flavor of ginger can be addictive. Its kind of like liquid crack to some people. If you find yourself rubbing ginger pulp on your gums or contemplating selling off your belongings to buy more ginger root, you may want to seek professional help.