I saw these recipes the other day and knew they were right up Amanda’s alley! My dad is undergoing some really hardcore chemo, and has been suffering from nausea. He told me that Ginger Ale helped, but I didn’t think that Canada D*y would have a ton of actual ginger in it (which is actually scientifically proven to combat nausea.) So I decided to whip up a batch myself. On the Crumpets and Cakes blog I found two great recipes. One instant and without yeast, and one with yeast. I decided to avoid the fermented recipe for my dad, instead I made the second, faster Ginger Ale recipe. I will report--it seemed to help with the nausea, which is good for everyone now and again. However I will also point out that I loved it too!! It was a little spicy, just a little sweet and really refreshing. The best thing is that you can adjust how much of the ginger syrup to put in the soda water—so it can be as spicy or mild as you would like!
-Jules
Recipes from Crumpets and Cakes
Ginger Ale: Instant version:
1 cup fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
club soda
juice of one or two limes, juice from half lemon
mint for garnish
Directions:
Combine ginger, sugar and water in a saucepan. Simmer slowly for 10 minutes, until sugar is dissolved and ginger is softened.
Strain warm syrup and allow to cool. Fill a tall glass with ice, add 1 part(used 2oz shot glass) of ginger syrup and 3 parts of club soda.
Squeeze lime and lemon wedge into glass. Use more syrup if desired. Garnish with mint. Stir and enjoy.
Ginger Beer:
1c sugar
freshly grated ginger root (1 1/2-2 tablespoons), use the fresh ginger root you can find, it really makes a difference
juice of one lemon
1/4tsp baker's yeast
cold fresh spring or filtered water
special equipment:
clean 2L plastic bottle, funnel, patience
Directions:
Through a funnel add sugar and yeast to a plastic bottle. Mix grated ginger root and lemon juice and then transfer it to a bottle, add water to fill it half way and shake well to mix all ingredients. Add more water, leaving about an inch head space, screw the cap on and shake again. You can also mix all the ingredients in a jar and then transfer to a plastic bottle. Leave in a warm place for about two days and then transfer to refrigerator, to stop fermentation process. Refrigerate overnight. Pour it through a strainer and enjoy!
Jules- I'm sorry to hear about your dad having to go under chemo! That is rough. I wouldn't shy away from lacto-fermented drinks though because the probiotics would be beneficial, that is of course his doctors specifically say nothing fermented such as yogurts, beers, fermented cheeses. I don't know much about chemo, so I'm not trying to give medical advice!
ReplyDeleteThe recipes you posted look great! I like ginger when cooking but I haven't found any ginger drink that I like! Store bought or homemade, but ginger does have lots of health benefits. I hope the homemade ginger ale is helping your dad while he is going through chemo.
Mmm homemade ginger ale sound so good!
ReplyDeleteAmanda, I saw that you were looking for more low carb recipes. This site has been an enormous help for me. http://dardreams.wordpress.com/
I cannot wait to make your chicken in garlic gravy recipe!
Blessings,
Mel
Please feel free to stop by: Trailing After God
Hi Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI love ginger normally so I really like this drink. Normally I wouldn't worry about the fermentation from the yeast, it does have lots of really great probiotics, which are ok for him to ingest. However, his stomach was so off that I was not sure about introducing something he had not had before. He has a break from chemo for two weeks now, so I will make that drink and have him try it in a couple of days when he is more normal. Since I will now be on Kitchen duty I will be cooking (and posting) more! Hopefully!