Homemade Ginger Ale

Everskyward

Everskyward

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Everskyward
I had some great homemade ginger ale lately. Not being much of a cook I didn't know you could make it at home. I've searched for some recipes on the internet but I want to know if some of our cooks make this.

This is one of the recipes I found but I have no idea what was followed to make the stuff I had. It's not someplace or someone I can ask either. I've already looked on the internet and there is no mention.

http://homecooking.about.com/od/beveragerecipes/r/blbev7.htm
 
Haven't made ginger ale but made lots of ale. Gotta allow for our lower boiling point up here. Takes some experimenting to get it right. The good news is that following a recipe just results in weaker flavor and it's no big deal to throw in more of whatever you're extracting.
 
Use seltzer instead of club soda. Or try Vernor's ginger ale.
 
Clark1961 said:
Haven't made ginger ale but made lots of ale.
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The bad news is that the one thing I am allergic to is ingested alcohol although it took me until I was in my 30s to figure it out. I thought I could acclimate myself little by little. Not so. Now I don't care and my flying buddies love it because I am always the designated driver.
 
Everskyward said:
The bad news is that the one thing I am allergic to is ingested alcohol...
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I doubt that strongly. Ethanol is a tiny molecule that makes a poor antigen. Moreover, it's found in many foods. The microbes that make ethanol make lot of other things in the process to which you could easily be allergic.
 
steingar said:
I doubt that strongly. Ethanol is a tiny molecule that makes a poor antigen. Moreover, it's found in many foods. The microbes that make ethanol make lot of other things in the process to which you could easily be allergic.
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I lack one or two enzymes that cause you not to be able to metabolize it. I believe it the same effect as taking the drug the give alcoholics to make it unappealing to drink. It's prevalent in Asians. My mom and her sister had the same condition. Maybe it's not a true allergy but it acts like one as far as I'm concerned,
 
Everskyward said:
The bad news is that the one thing I am allergic to is ingested alcohol although it took me until I was in my 30s to figure it out. I thought I could acclimate myself little by little. Not so. Now I don't care and my flying buddies love it because I am always the designated driver.
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Y'know, as curses go, this ain't a bad one.

What are the effects if you do drink?
 
SCCutler said:
Y'know, as curses go, this ain't a bad one.

What are the effects if you do drink?
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I get warm and itchy and very sleepy. I think my breathing and heartbeat speed up and I believe it lowers my blood pressure which is low to begin with. Someone told me that it does, anyway.

OK, here is a page about it if you are interested.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_flush_reaction

Alcohol flush reaction (also known as Asian flush syndrome, Asian flush, Asian glow, among others) is a condition in which an individual's face or body experiences flushes or blotches as a result of an accumulation of acetaldehyde, a metabolic byproduct of the catabolic metabolism of alcohol.
This syndrome has been associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer in those who drink.[1] It has also been associated with lower than average rates of alcoholism, possibly due to its association with adverse effects after drinking alcohol.[2]

Flushing, or blushing, is associated with the erythema (reddening caused by dilation of capillaries) of the face, neck, shoulder, and in some cases, the entire body after consumption of alcohol.
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Everskyward said:
I lack one or two enzymes that cause you not to be able to metabolize it. I believe it the same effect as taking the drug the give alcoholics to make it unappealing to drink. It's prevalent in Asians. My mom and her sister had the same condition. Maybe it's not a true allergy but it acts like one as far as I'm concerned,
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It is possible you carry a mutation in the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), but the symptoms are utterly unlike an allergy (unless you get really drunk whenever you encounter and allergen). And yes, these are indeed enriched in Asian populations. That said, you might just be a very lightweight drinker. That is not at all uncommon for petite women of all races.
 
steingar said:
It is possible you carry a mutation in the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), but the symptoms are utterly unlike an allergy (unless you get really drunk whenever you encounter and allergen). And yes, these are indeed enriched in Asian populations. That said, you might just be a very lightweight drinker. That is not at all uncommon for petite women of all races.
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Since I am not allergic to anything else that I know of I can't compare. I am definitely not able to drink enough to get "drunk". I can feel the effects after half a beer or glass of wine, maybe less. I'm also the same size as my female cousin who doesn't have the problem. When I was young I thought that feeling was "drunk" and couldn't understand why anyone would voluntarily do it to themselves. :dunno:
 
SCCutler said:
...not sure you're missing all that much, other than:

1. The thrill of seeing pictures, embarrassing pictures, you never knew anyone took; and

2. A good red wine.
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I have seen #1. :redface:
#2 Not so much...
 
Re: Homemade Ginger Ale - Update

Decided to try this project this afternoon.

I had bought some of the ingredients awhile ago and didn't want them to go bad.

2013-07-21+at+16-13-30


My main challenge was looking at the recipe and figuring out I needed to peel all that ginger...

2013-07-30+at+12-40-42


So far, so good...

2013-07-30+at+13-54-14


Hmm, ginger syrup reduced down.

2013-07-30+at+16-34-08


The finished product using Murphey's suggestion of seltzer.

This is why I am not a cook. It needs a lot more...

2013-07-21+at+16-13-46


At least I can eat the dregs this way...

2013-07-30+at+13-30-31


Both ginger ale and ginger topping are VERY gingery. But I guess that's mostly a good thing. :D
 
You might try using young ginger. It is much easier to prep and doesn't have the same bite as the old ginger. It also has a bright herbal flavor that I think would be great in Ginger Ale.
 
Alexb2000 said:
You might try using young ginger. It is much easier to prep and doesn't have the same bite as the old ginger. It also has a bright herbal flavor that I think would be great in Ginger Ale.
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I guess old ginger had to have been young at one time, but I'm not sure if I've ever seen it sold. Or even heard of it. Of course this interest in ginger is very new.
 
Is there a way to create a sugar free ginger ale that is palatable? That would get me excited!
 
I'll look when I go to SF. Not too many Asian markets in my little town. :)
 
Everskyward said:
I'll look when I go to SF. Not too many Asian markets in my little town. :)
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In the strip mall Yale & Havana. Very close to my house. Want me to pick some up for you next week (currently at OSH)?
 
murphey said:
In the strip mall Yale & Havana. Very close to my house. Want me to pick some up for you next week (currently at OSH)?
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Thanks, but I mostly meant that I wanted to look at some and compare it to "old" ginger. I have plenty of syrup right now, unless we have a BBQ and I bring it, and it isn't cold enough for that...
 
Everskyward said:
I'm still struggling with creating a sugary one that is palatable...
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Today I made some syrup out of just sugar and water and added it to the mix. Yum!

I can see some may not want so much sugar so it's probably better to let people mix the ingredients to their own taste. Ginger stock + seltzer + syrup.
 
Everskyward said:
Today I made some syrup out of just sugar and water and added it to the mix. Yum!

I can see some may not want so much sugar so it's probably better to let people mix the ingredients to their own taste. Ginger stock + seltzer + syrup.
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Careful, or you might just become the next soda pop baroness..
 
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