Home Made Ginger Ale

Another great recipe I found on Big Girls Small Kitchen. I love ginger ale, but I'm not a fan of the ingredients in store brought brands, like high fructose corn syrup. Most of the store bought brands don't even contain real ginger! You're not even getting the benefits of ginger's anti-inflammatory properties and nausea reducing qualities, as well as the other numerous health plusses of the root. As I have an affinity for everything home made, I bought some ginger and made my own. It was incredibly easy and didn't require any special equipment. It tasted more like ginger beer, not necessarily a bad thing. I'm not sure what the thyme added to it, but it made it look nice. I guess you don't really need it. After making the syrup, we mixed it with club soda made with the SodaStream Genesis Soda Maker. That machine is great. It turns water to soda in seconds, and it is much more environmentally friendly than buying bottled soda. Store bought club soda would work just as well with this recipe though.

Home Made Ginger Ale

Makes 4 glasses

• 1/2 cup peeled, sliced ginger
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 liter of club Soda

Combine the ginger, thyme, sugar and water in a small saucepan.

Simmer gently for 20 minutes.

Pour the syrup in 4 glasses over ice.

Fill the rest of the glass with club soda to your taste.

The thing I love most about ginger ale is how well it mixes with rum to make a Dark and Stormy. My Uncle Mark turned me on to the drink when I was visiting him in the Virgin Islands. Every time I drink it   I feel like I'm back in Cinnamon Bay on St. John, even in this frigid January weather. I usually mix the ginger ale with Cruzan Aged Rum, a rum produced on the island of St. Croix. It's pretty hard to find around here (another excuse to take a trip to the USVI), so I used Black Seal Black Rum that Andrew's mom brought us back from her last cruise. It's not a bad substitute. Don't forget to add lime.. LOTS of lime!