Ginger Ale Syrup

Ginger ale is tasty and good for upset tummys. But the stuff from the grocery store just isn't zingy enough for me. So I like to make my own, and you can too. I've tried the kind of recipe where you use fermentation to generate the fizz directly in the drink, but I just couldn't get the hang of it. This recipe is quite simple, and the result is the best ginger ale I've ever had.

Ingredients
ginger
sugar - white
water
limes

Tools
vegetable peeler
knife
juicer
measuring cup
sauce pan (or two)
grater
strainer
funnel
empty 2-liter soda bottle

Peel the ginger. For this batch I used a whole "hand". Don't worry if you can't get every last little bit of skin off - the ginger will get strained out later.

Grate or finely chop the ginger. The smaller the pieces, the more flavor you can get out of it.

Cut the limes in half and juice them. I like a really citrus-y taste, so I used two. I find that firmly rolling the limes on the counter before cutting gets more out when you juice them.

Boil the water. I try to fill an empty 2 liter soda bottle (cleaned!) with the syrup, so I boil up about 7 cups. Once it is boiling add a similar amount of sugar (less if you don't like it so sweet) and stir until the sugar dissolves.

Add the ginger and lime juice to the syrup. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Take it off the heat and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Strain the ginger pulp out (I pour it through the strainer into another pot) and let the syrup cool completely. Put it in a bottle (the funnel comes in handy here) and refridgerate.

When you are ready for a refreshing drink just mix the syrup with club soda in 1:2 or 1:3 proportions. Ice is nice, too.