Thursday, July 22, 2010

Thirsty little fella?

Soooooooooo hot out right now! Do you know where else is hot? Jamaica. Jamaica is hot, damn hot. Now, there are a few reasons why I love Jamaica, but as for legal reasons why I love Jamaica, ginger beer has to be right up there, along with the movie Cool Runnings.

I wanted to get a cool refreshing beverage that I could make at home easily and serve to my 15yr old brother in law that's staying with us for the summer. Not to mention that sometimes it's just too hot for alcohol. So. after some research and some personal modifications here is an easy recipe to make your own ginger beer. It's fun to make a fizzy drink with out the aid of any CO2 canisters.

you will need the following:

2 lemons(sliced)
2 limes(sliced)
2 star anise pods
2 tsp cream of tartar
150g sugar
50g honey
Mint sprigs
50g grated ginger(for a nice mild ginger flavor, adjust according to preference)
2.5L boiling water
7g yeast(one packet)

Once you have everything you'll need put all ingredients in a large bowl excluding the yeast. Pour the boiling water over top and allow to cool.

Once the brew is cool enough to hold your finger in comfortably, you can now add the yeast and stir well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.

The following day remove the bowl from the fridge and strain the liquid through a fine sieve. Pour the ginger beer into clean bottles or jars and screw the lids on nice and tight. Be careful not to overfill the bottles as they may spill over. You can put the ginger beer back in the fridge now. Twice a day for two to three days unscrew the lids to allow the gas to escape. On day three it's good to drink. This ginger beer is best drank sooner than later as the fizz will wear off if left to sit for too long.

Serve it up in a glass with ice, fresh mint and a piece of cinnamon bark. Oh, and if you can't do it without booze, I'd say some Jamaican rum would make sense. Hope you all enjoy.
Sean Peltier

2 comments:

  1. Making bubbly, non alcholic beverages...love that! Did you know that when George Oshawa died he was trying to make a macrobiotic "soft drink?"

    A new and exciting frontier in the great Okanagan food adventure. kudos!

    ReplyDelete