For a multitude of reasons I don’t buy soda. Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not going all judgy-judgerton on soda. It’s just that over the years, I have gotten to where I don’t really like most of it. It’s just too derned sweet for me. Once a year or so I’ll grab a Pepsi when I’m out on the town (Hmmm… Perhaps I only get Pepsi once a year because I only get out on the town once a year or so. Please excuse me for a moment or two while I go mourn my lost ability to go where I want when I want…) but that’s about the extent of it. I am, however, a big fan of ginger ale.
A few years back, my Dad found a recipe online and started making his own ginger ale so, naturally, we started teasing him.
(*This is a side note to give you a very important piece of information about interacting with people to whom I am related. We are a teasing family. It’s how we show you we love you. If we tease you we care. What that says about us I cannot tell you. Perhaps someone with a bent for psychology could tell you weird and horrible things about our collective psyche based on that, but, eh… We is what we is.)
“Ah,” said us, “You’re home-brewing, eh Dad?” (My Dad does not drink alcohol.) “Sooooo, Papa, you’re moonshining? Making hooch?” And thus was born the name of Dad’s ginger ale, “Papa’s Hooch”. When Dad came to visit, he brought four bottles of “Papa’s Hooch” with him. I had ignored my Dad’s recommendation to open it over the sink and found myself wearing the top third of the contents of a very pressurized bottle.
Wow! It was REAL ginger ale. You could taste the ginger, lemon juice and lime juice that he had used, and boy howdy it was fizzy. There was actual citrus pulp and ginger in the bottle.
Have you ever had a real, honest-to-goodness homemade soda? As in one that was made from scratch? I have to tell you that if the sum of your soda experience is contained in the fizzy-drinks aisle at the local grocery store that you are missing out. Big time. I feel obliged to warn you that homemade ginger ale is worlds different than Canada Dry, Schweppe’s or fill-in-the-blank brand. It tastes closer to what most folks would consider a ginger beer (like a Reed’s Ginger Beer) and is somewhat similar to Vernor’s, which is about the only bottled ginger ale worth buying and drinking. (Uh oh. Look out! My native Michigander is showing…)
*Science Content Warning!
Papa’s Hooch is a home fermented product. That means that there will be a little sediment in the bottle. And since it’s brewed with real, grated ginger and fresh squeezed citrus juice, there will be a small amount of pulp in the finished product. If you pour carefully, the sediment should remain in the bottle. If you find pulp objectionable (I personally find it really tasty and will fight anyone for their pulp) you can pour the hooch through a fine mesh strainer into your glass.
Since this is a fermented product, there is a miniscule amount of alcohol produced as a by-product of the yeast. The original recipe called for a full cup of sugar, but Dad reduced that to a half cup. Since there is less sugar to be eaten by the yeast, there will be less alcohol in the finished product than there was in the original recipe. To give you an idea of how much (or rather, how little) alcohol there really is let me share with you a quote from the page where Dad originally got the recipe (and if it sounds like it’s written by a scientist, that’s because it is.)
“We have tested in our lab the alcoholic content which results from the fermentation of this (ginger ale) and found it to be between 0.35 and 0.5 %. Comparing this to the 6% in many beers, it would require a person to drink about a gallon and a half of this (ginger ale) to be equivalent to one 12 ounce beer. I would call this amount of alcohol negligible, but for persons with metabolic problems who cannot metabolize alcohol properly, or religious prohibition against any alcohol, consumption should be limited or avoided.”
This means, that the final alcohol content of Papa’s Hooch is going to be roughly half of what the original recipe’s alcohol content was. Translation: You’d need to drink 3 gallons of Papa’s Hooch to get the alcohol that is in the average 12 ounce beer.
Also. You’ll want to keep in mind that the bottle in which you ferment the hooch will be under a great deal of pressure. It’s best to use an empty plastic two-liter seltzer or soda bottle with a tight fitting screw top for the process. You wouldn’t want to use an empty milk jug, glass bottle or mason jar for this project. If you use glass you run a very real risk of explosion. Heck, there’s bit of a risk of explosion with the plastic bottle, too. But you’re a lot less likely to incur injury or property damage from an exploding plastic bottle than an exploding glass one. And using a plastic bottle along with the safety precautions laid out in the recipe makes it a pretty safe bet that you’ll be fine. But, really… I’m not asking you to fillet and eat your own fugu. It’s just ginger ale. As long as you use a plastic bottle, the biggest risk you’re flirting with is that you’ll have a puddle to clean up and you might have to wipe down a wall or two. I’d say that’s worth it!
Onto the ginger ale. If you make this tonight, it should be ready to drink by Sunday morning.
For a photo-free, printer friendly version of this recipe, click here!
Papa’s Homemade Hooch
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- One lemon or one lime (or half of each)
- 2 inches of fresh gingerroot
- 1/4 teaspoon of yeast
Fit the top of a clean, dry, empty 2-liter soda bottle with a funnel. Pour the sugar and yeast into the bottle.
Swirl gently to distribute the yeast through the sugar. Leave the funnel in the bottle and set aside.
Grate the ginger into a measuring cup.
Juice the lemon and/or lime. I prefer to use half each of a lemon and a lime.
Freaky claw hand juices citrus. Stay tuned for more...
Combine the citrus juice and the grated gingerroot in a measuring cup and swirl to mix.
Pour through the funnel into the bottle.
There will be some ginger and citrus pulp left in the funnel and measuring cup.
Can't waste all that ginger you grated!
We’ll take care of that right now! To rinse the additional pulp out of the measuring cup and into the bottle add clean drinking water to the measuring cup and swirl.
Pour this through the funnel. That should have cleaned out the measuring cup and the funnel.
No ginger left behind! Not in THIS kitchen!
Remove the funnel and screw the cap on tightly. Shake the bottle vigorously to mix. Remove the cap and fill the bottle to within an inch of the top (that should be just about where the bottle starts to narrow at the neck), cap tightly and invert repeatedly to dissolve sugar.
This is a good part of the process to get the kids involved. They love shaking things vigorously. It comes naturally.
Use your thumb to press in the side of the bottle and take note of how far it gives under the pressure.
See how far in the bottle goes when I press it with my thumb? That means this is not done yet!
Place bottle in a warm (but not hot) place for about 24-48 hours, or until the bottle is very firm. When the bottle does not yield to firm pressure it is time to refrigerate!
Freaky claw hand is back to show you a bottle of finished hooch. See how the bottle doesn't indent at all when pressed really, REALLY hard? This needs to go into the fridge. And now.
Do not leave the bottle out for more than 48 hours as you run the risk of it bursting after that point. Chill completely, preferably overnight. When it is completely chilled, caaaaaarefully loosen the lid…
Do this over your sink or over a surface that is easy to clean. Trust me.
and pour over ice.
This is pure refreshment.
If you find pulp and small bits of ginger objectionable, strain your soda into the glass.
This last bit of advice comes straight from my Dad. Heed him well. “Rinse the bottle out with water immediately after pouring your last glass. Otherwise you’ll never get the dad-burned stuff out of there.” He’s right. I tried washing out an empty hooch bottle after it had sat out, capped- I might add, overnight. I ended up recycling the blasted thing. When will I learn to listen to my Dad the first time?
Simran says
Got a question : how long can you keep in the fridge if you don’t drink all of it at once. I am single and there is no way I’m gonna drink 2 litres ginger ale in a day, no matter how good 🙂
Jacob sadro says
Hey thanks so much for root beer syrup recipe. I have searched for over 32 years for such a recipe. Made like over 46 different kind from other sources. None were as great as this one ..
Thankyou with all my heart. God bless you if your still alive. And I hate to make rootbeer from store bought syrup then just add sugar .I agree it is not real homemade.
Rebecca says
Hi Simran- Good question! Once opened it’ll be good for about three days. Unopened it’s good for a couple weeks as long as it’s kept refrigerated. If you wish, you can divide the ingredients between two empty 1-liter soda bottles. That way you would have a smaller amount to go through when opened. We’ve also done that and had it work beautifully.
Daina says
My batch actually kept for several weeks in the fridge before the fizz finally…well…fizzled out!
Amy says
I just saw this post on Foodgawker this morning and my first batch is in the laundry room. I can’t wait until the bottle’s firm, chilled and I get to try it! I love specialty ginger ales I’ve had that are extra hot so I upped the ginger amount a bit. Thanks for posting!
Rebecca says
Amy- I’m so glad you’re giving it a go! I generally put in quite a lot of ginger for my own batches (nearly double the given amount) but for the boys I use the 2″ of ginger. Please let me know how you like it.
janel says
wow, this actually sounds very simple (well minus the risk of explosion) 😉
now i have to find an empty soda bottle somewhere…
I wonder if you could make your own kombucha like this. hmm.. maybe not.
Rebecca says
Janel- May I recommend hitting up your friends who drink a lot of soda? That’s what I did. The same bottles have served my ginger ale making needs for a little over a year. As long as you rinse them out immediately they’ll keep on going.
Amy says
My 3rd and 4th batches are in the laundry room now, and I’m sipping my 2nd. I LOVE this stuff! I’m using only lemon-first batch was half lime, but 2nd was lemon only and we like it better. I’m using about 1/3 to 1/2 cup grated ginger and it definitely warms you going down. I think this has become a household staple now- thanks so much!
Jane says
Love this post–this hootch sounds YUMMY!
Let your Michigan show every chance you get! I slip as many gratuitous plugs for my home state in as I can. Long Live Vernor’s!!
beth says
I’m just making a batch of this now…and there is a lot of sediment at the bottom already (its been a few hours). Should I be shaking this up or just leave it be? Thanks!
amy says
Thanks for the great recipe…sounds wonderful! I can’t wait to try this like tomorrow…….Wondering if anyone has tried it with spleda, i have to watch my sugar intake! I might give it a try and just see what happens, i will post results. Thanks again!
Frances Platt says
I make five gallon brew bucket ,want to know can you freeze ginger beer in plastic 12oz bottles for later
Rebecca says
Hey Frances- I have no idea, I’m sorry to say!
popemichael says
I use a similar process to make homemade wine and hooch. I find that 2-liter soda bottles work perfectly and can withstand A LOT of pressure from the fermentation process.
I would consider for a better flavor (and to remove the ginger pieces) to move the beverage out of the original bottle through a strainer (leaving the yeast sediment on the bottom) after the first few days of fermentation into another 2-liter. Then store the 2-liter in the fridge for at least a week to increase the carbonation again. Less yeast means more flavor from the other ingredients.
As I said, I speak from doing this particular fermentation process a great deal in wine & hooch making. I find that filtering out the yeast and moving to a new container increases the flavor of every beverage that I’ve made exponentially.
tommy says
hi. I’m taking your advice, as the initial tasting (after 2 days fermenting in a warm spot and one night in the fridge) was neither as carbonated or as strong as I wanted.. So – you are instructing to do this second fermentation in the fridge? I’m confused by that. Won’t the cold slow it / prevent it? And, by straining the sediment, did i strain out the yeasties that are doing the fermenting? Thanks for your advice and explanations. This is fun.
Rebecca says
Yes, straining takes out the yeasties and whatnot. If after 2 days it wasn’t as carbonated or strong as I wanted, I would leave it out a bit longer! The cold will slow or prevent fermentation. It’s just when the bottle gets rock hard that you want to be sure it’s refrigerated!
Juliana says
“Remove the cap and fill the bottle to within an inch of the top…” I’m probably being very stupid but with what to I fill the bottle to within an inch of the top with? Water?? Thanks in advance!
Rebecca says
Juliana- That’s not a stupid question. You do use water.
Tara says
This looks awesome!! I can’t wait to try it! I think to avoid getting the pulp in my glass I will just rubber-band some cheesecloth around the top, that should keep it all in ^_^, should be thin enough to just screw the cap back over it too. Thanks for the awesome how-to and pics!
Tara says
amy
July 17th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
“Wondering if anyone has tried it with spleda, i have to watch my sugar intake! I might give it a try and just see what happens, i will post results.”
I know this post is almost a year old, but just F.Y.I. to others wanting to go sugar-free. The yeast eat the sugar, so you can replace SOME of it with splenda no problem, but leave some, otherwise your yeasties will starve!
Rebecca says
Tara- I don’t know if any of the readers have tried it with Splenda. If anyone has, please post your results here. I’d love to know!
Burrito Bandito says
If you want to reduce the amount of sediment in your ginger ale you can boil the grated ginger in water until you have a decent infusion, then strain the pulp out before adding the yeast, sugar, and lemon/lime juices. Champagne yeast is much finer and more readily dissolved into a solution.
By adding a bit more sugar and increasing the amount of time that the bottle remains capped you can increase the amount of alcohol present in the end product. You’ll probably need to “burp” the bottle periodically to prevent explosion, or you can use the old swing top beer bottles (grolsch bottles). They have a small rubber gasket that allows excess carbonation to escape.
But most of all…
TAKE POPEMICHAELS ADVICE AND STRAIN YOUR SEDIMENT AND THEN ALLOW FOR A SECOND FERMENTATION. This will dramatically improve the flavor of your soda, beer, kombucha, or any other fermented beverages.
Christian says
If that is the level of alcohol how can you bring up the content of the alcohol, how long should I continue to ferment?
sally says
Is it fizzy?
Thomas says
Thanks for writing this up. My family has made Ginger Beer like this for many years.
We’ve had the odd accident but nothing serious. I have however seen in the newspaper a report about a child making it in a glass soda bottle, dropping it and being badly cut by flying glass, bleeding to death. So use a plastic bottle folks, it can’t shatter.
Karen says
What kind of yeast did you use in the recipe? I’m assuming it’s not just bread yeast, but yeast that’s designed for beer. Someone mentioned champagne yeast, is that what you used?
Rebecca says
Actually, I did use bread yeast because it’s what my dad used! I bet champagne yeast would do wonderfully, too, though!
Stephanie says
My husband does his own homebrew beer and I think I’m going to have his try this one for me with the stuff he has. Just an idea, he orders stuff from Mr.Beer and you could buy new bottle caps with the plastic ring still attached that would make the cap stay on better and you could bottle in 1 liter bottles instead of larger 2 liter bottles. Then you wouldn’t have to drink it as fast and could avoid any kind of flat ginger ale (especially after all that work). My husband uses glass bottles now for his beer, but it sounds like this is way too carbonated for the glass bottles! We usually put the beer keg into a big cooler as well while it’s fermenting. It keeps the temperature more even and has saved us for big messes when things bubble over.
Morgan says
Would using glass bottle be more dangerous or would it be fine?
Rebecca says
I think it would be supertyduper dangerous… I’d avoid it. I say this only because I accidentally forgot a plastic bottle of the stuff in the back of the refrigerator after Thanksgiving. I didn’t find it until late December. We won’t discuss my refrigerator cleaning abilities here… I’m just going to say the thing was so distended I was scared to take it out to the barn where we keep our garbage. My hubby decided it was safer to put it on a stump and shoot it than take a chance of it blowing in the garbage bag (because we’re sophisticated like that.) It took one shot and the lid flew 20 feet into the air and the bottle flew sideways with a geyser of super fermented ginger beer trailing it. That’s why. 😀
Jennifer says
I made Papa’s Homemade Hooch. It was yum! I couldn’t believe how carbonated it was! It took me forever to open it, even slowly, over the sink!
I increased the sugar content to the original recipe ( a cup, I think) . It tasted great! My husband adored it and I had one of four kids particularly partial to it.
One night, I was drinking it and realized I felt flushed. I told my husband. My son (age 10) piped up, “Oh yeah. I always feel warm and tingly when I drink it.”
Wait. What? We checked the alcohol content (we have a meter to check home made wine and cider) and it was FOUR percent! lol. Needless to say, that was the last glass son #2 had.
I’ll probably make it again, though with 1/2 the sugar for the kiddos and double for the hubby! 🙂
Another good one is homemade apple cider for adults only. We never got it above 2% alcohol, I think. It’s lovely for the summer.
http://hubpages.com/hub/how-to-make-cider-without-special-equipment
Daina says
I finally made some of this earlier this month. Mine was ready in less than 24 hours (I blame the Texas heat), and it keeps great! What I absolutely love about this recipe is that it doesn’t lose carbonation once opened like most carbonated beverages do, because it seems to keep replenishing the bubbles. Awesome! Once I finally get through this bottle (it’s just me drinking it) I’m going to try it without the ginger to make a sparkling water.
Chris says
I understood that less sugar means more alcohol, because once the sugar is eaten the yeast begins to eat the solid and liquid waste (gaseous waste would be the CO2 so that isn’t eaten) created from eating the sugar. I’ve been told that if there is less sugar for the yeast to eat the process of alcohol making begins on a larger scale than if there is a ton of sugar. Have you ever check the specific gravity for alcohol content. It may be that instead of 3 gallons = 12 oz beer it may be 3/4 gallon = 12 oz beer. It might be worth looking into.
janine oldfield says
Hi can this be made in a large 23 litre plastic brewing bucket with lid instead of plastic bottles.
Rebecca says
Hi Janine- I haven’t actually tested it that way and am not sure how well the recipe would scale up on that level. If you try it, please let me know how it works out.
Tucker says
You’ll want to try Pat Mack’s Brew Caps for this. I’ve had great success with them. They bleed out just enough gas to prevent an explosion and keep in enough that the bottle sounds like a drum when you tap it 🙂
http://homebrewingcaps.com/contact/about-home-brew/
Susan McLeod says
Looking forward to trying this. I love ginger beer and the ginger ale just doesn’t cut it.
Karin says
Thank you! Added turmeric for health… We’ll ?!
TY for sharing!
Salina Fox says
Hahaha I usually don’t read people’s blogs just grabbed up the recipe, but your’s cracked me right up! I think we might be related LOL
Rebecca says
HA! Thanks, Salina! I’m so glad you liked it!
Geoff says
Has anyone come up with a modified recipe that can be used to make a syrup that can then be used with SodaClub/SodaStream carbonating systems?
Rebecca says
Hey Geoff- You might want to try this one on for size! It’s a recipe of mine.
Geoff says
Rebecca —
?? – Am I missing something? No link. Oops. 🙁
Rebecca says
Oh my gracious. I left the link off. EEK. Okay, this isn’t technically a syrup, but it’s a ginger switchel which is awfully nice in the summer! Here’s the link.
Geoff says
Found it! Can’t wait to try both recipes. Thanks.
Geoff Sykes says
Ginger ale using SodaStream bubble water follow-up. What I wound up doing is doubling your recipe but leaving out the yeast. I pulped the peeled ginger in a blender with some water and then ran it through a strainer. Shook the sugar/ginger/lemon juice up real good, filled to the top with filtered water and the result is 2L of ginger ale “syrup”. Or, 4L of potential ginger ale. I fill the glass half full with this “syrup” and then fill up the rest with SodaStream bubble water. The result was very tasty, indeed. And there was no fear of exploding bottles. And, OK, if I really want some alcohol in my ginger ale there’s always vodka. Thank you so much for this. Gonna be a staple during this summer, fer sure.
Rebecca says
That is awesome, Geoff! Thanks so much for checking back in and following up!
Bluey says
I been making a ginger beer for some time now and although I stick to the alcoholic variety, I still love reading recipes and methods of every variety of the process and your’s was certainly fun to read as well as very detailed….and congratulations that this blog is still going strong a decade later….well done
Rebecca says
Thanks so much, Bluey! We’re alive and kicking over here, and hopefully improving with age!
Frank says
So how much sugar is left after fermenting?
Rebecca says
Hi Frank- I have not done any Brix testing on this recipe, so I’m afraid I can’t tell you.
Monica says
Thank you (and to your Dad!) for this recipe! Making ginger beer’s been on my bucket list for a decade and I finally got to try it during the quarantine.
Rebecca says
You’re very welcome, Monica! I’ll make sure I give Dad your message! 🙂