When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Ginger Ale

My new hobby is coming up with creative ways to save money. This adventure began when I was surfing the Internet and happened upon a homemade ginger ale recipe on "allrecipes.com." Luxury items, like sodas, are not in my budget, but I thirsted for some cool refreshing ginger ale. A check of my cupboards revealed I was missing the ginger root, active dry yeast, and a fresh lime. All I had was water, a fresh lemon and sugar. I know most people are thinking, "Why didn't you just make lemonade?" Where is the fun in that? What is life without a little adventure? Besides, I wouldn't have anything to write about.

Following the recipe, I grated one and a half tablespoons of ginger root in a large bowl. Actually, I grated a little more because I inadvertently discovered grating works the bicep muscles. I can hone my biceps and make homemade ginger ale simultaneously?! That is a bargain. And with my newly sculpted arms, I patted myself on the back for allowing my gym membership to lapse.

Next, I squeezed the juice of a whole lemon and half of a lime into the same bowl containing the grated ginger root. Added three-quarters of a cup of sugar, one-quarter teaspoon of active dry yeast, and two liters of water to the grated ginger root mixture. The recipe suggests a cup of sugar. I used three-quarters of a cup because of my preference for strong flavors to sweet ones. While I carefully stirred the ginger ale, I mused about the amount of money and calories I just saved.

The last step was to pour the ginger ale into four half-liter bottles, tightly screw on the caps and shake - working the arms again. For the carbonation process to begin, the bottles must be left at room temperature. The carbonation process is finished when the bottles are too hard to squeeze (one to two days.) What, you thought ginger ale would be ready to drink immediately? Not if you want the bubbles.

Time for some science geekery, why do you think I added yeast to the ginger ale? To get the benefits of an age-old well-known process called fermentation. Fermentation occurs when yeast interacts with sugar and produces carbon dioxide gas and ethyl alcohol (ethanol). This interaction, generally considered a byproduct, causes the carbon dioxide gas to dissolve in the water creating the beloved effervescent bubbles and signifying the initiation of the carbonation process. Since carbon dioxide stops fermentation, the alcohol content is very low (trace amounts) and shelf life is dramatically reduced. Recommended shelf life is two weeks.

Additionally, the alcohol content is related to the type of yeast used in the mixture. I used active dry yeast which is the type used to make bread. Brewers yeast and wine yeast will produce a much higher alcohol content. The amount of yeast used directly affects the level of carbonation. Be careful of the amount of yeast used because the ginger ale might taste yeasty.

Before I tell the results of my labor, I have to emphasize how important it is to monitor the carbonation process. The bottles are left a room temperature until too hard to squeeze because if left beyond that point, they will explode. The carbon dioxide gas fills the air pockets in the liquid pressurizing the bottles and causing them to feel hard to the touch. Think of the feel of a very taut balloon. Although the bottles feel hard to the touch, the ginger ale is still liquid.

At the 15-hour mark, I notice the bubbles forming in the ginger ale and the bottles were hardening but still squeezable. At the 24-hour mark, the bottles were definitely hard but still had a bit of give to them. At the 30-hour mark, the bottles were too hard to squeeze. I wrongly thought it wouldn't hurt if the bottles were left at room temperature for another night. Around 4:30 a.m., I heard a pop sound followed by a gushing fizz sound, followed by a drip, drip, drip sound.

I immediately jumped out of bed to witness pieces of ginger plastered to the wall and ginger ale dripping from the wall and counter top onto the recently cleaned carpet. Bravo! I put my sculpted arms to work cleaning up the mess.

Luckily, only one bottle exploded. I slowly removed the caps of the other three bottles over the kitchen sink, releasing the carbon dioxide while admiring the effervescent bubbles. After three hours of refrigeration, I tasted the fruits of my labor.

Homemade ginger ale does not taste remotely like the commercial version. So, be prepared for a new taste experience. I enjoyed the light, crisp, and refreshing texture of the ginger ale, but was a tad disappointed in the flavor. I didn't get the right balance of spice and lemon-lime I wanted. I liked the spicy flavor of ginger but couldn't taste the lemon-lime tang. The longer the ginger ale was refrigerated, the better the flavors of spicy ginger and lemon-line mingled to produce the desired taste.

Homemade ginger ale should be made to suit your unique palate. You can vary the ingredients in whatever proportion you desire. You can add mint leaves or use lemon extract instead of fresh lemons. You can combine ginger ale with cranberry juice to make a spritzer. It is truly up to your imagination and taste buds.

I give my homemade ginger ale a grade of B-. The flexibility of the recipe, the fun I had making it, (toned biceps and explosion included), the excitement watching the carbonation process and the pride I have from making something from scratch, I give a grade of A+. Would I do it all again? Absolutely, minus the explosion, of course.

Sources Used for Facts and Information

¹ Allrecipes.com, http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Homemade-Ginger-Ale/Detail.aspx

Answers.com, http://www.answers.com/topic/ginger

HowStuffWorks, http://science.howstuffworks.com/fungi/yeast-info.htm

Ibid http://science.howstuffworks.com/biology-terms/fermentation-info.htm

Ibid http://health.howstuffworks.com/alcohol2.htm

Answers.com, http://www.answers.com/topic/carbonated-water