Orange Honey Ginger Ale
- Course: Beverage
Summary:
Ginger is a unique aromatic ingredient, one of the few that burn and cool simultaneously. With its pronounced floral character, it has an affinity for both honey and orange.
Select a mild honey, such as orange blossom, for this soda. If the honey is too bold, it will fight with the ginger and overpower the orange flavor.
MAKE AHEAD: This syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
Makes 5 1/2 cups of syrup (enough for about 16 servings)
Ingredients:
For the syrup- 1 quart water, preferably filtered
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup mild honey, such as orange blossom
- 3 ounces fresh ginger root, peeled and grated (about 1/2 cup)
- Freshly squeezed juice of 1 orange
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 1/2 cups seltzer
Directions:
For the syrup: Combine the water, sugar, honey, ginger and orange juice in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let cool for 30 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a separate container, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.
For each soda: Pour 1/3 cup of syrup and the orange juice into a tall glass filled halfway with ice. Top with the seltzer and stir just until blended.
VARIATION: To carbonate using a soda siphon, combine 3 cups of water, 2/3 cup of the syrup and 1/3 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice in a 1-quart soda siphon. Charge with a CO2 cartridge according to manufacturer's directions. Pour into tall glasses filled with ice.
Recipe Source:
Adapted from "Homemade Soda," by Andrew Schloss (Storey, 2011).
E-mail the Food Section with recipe questions.
(Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post; glassware from Crate and Barrel)
