A sharp, warming homemade ginger syrup made with fresh ginger, sugar, and water. Ready in 15 minutes. Works in cocktails, ginger beer, ginger ale, iced coffee, and hot drinks.
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Fine-mesh strainer or sieve
- Sterilized bottle or jar
Ingredients
- 2 medium fresh ginger root, washed and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp lemon juice optional
Instructions
- Wash and slice the ginger into thin coins, roughly 1/4 inch thick. Do not grate.
- Combine ginger slices, both sugars, and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir gently until the sugars dissolve.
- Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not boil hard.
- Remove from heat and steep for 15 to 20 minutes. Do not skip this step.
- Stir in lemon juice if using. Strain through a fine mesh sieve pressing the ginger slices firmly.
- Transfer to a clean jar. Leave uncovered until fully cool before sealing and refrigerating.
Notes
Slice, don’t grate. Thin coins give a cleaner infusion and a clearer finished syrup.
The off-heat steep is non-negotiable as it adds more flavor complexity than the cooking time itself.
The syrup gets slightly spicier over the first few days in the fridge so factor this in when tasting fresh.
Use fresh ginger, not ground. The flavor difference is significant and is the whole benefit of making this from scratch.