Homemade Fresh Ginger Ale

By
Peggy Trowbridge Filippone
Peggy Trowbridge Filippone
Peggy Trowbridge Filippone is a writer who develops approachable recipes for home cooks. Her recipes range from Grandma’s favorites to the latest food trends.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 02/22/24
Tested by
Carrie Parente
Carrie Parente
Tested by Carrie Parente
Carrie is a freelance food stylist and culinary producer who loves having a table full of guests.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Chill Time: 60 mins
Total: 100 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Yield: 15 cups

A tall, refreshing glass of ginger ale is a fantastic drink, and it's surprisingly easy to make at home. Ginger ale is, quite simply, carbonated water sweetened and flavored with ginger-infused syrup. That really is it, and it's one of the easiest homemade sodas you can mix up. If you are a true fan of ginger ale, you'll also find that this is more economical than store-bought options.

The syrup in this recipe uses a good amount of fresh ginger along with a little lemon peel, which gives it a nice kick. Many store-bought ginger ales don't use any fresh ginger, making this homemade version more flavorful. Since you are assembling it yourself, you can control how much syrup you want in it—and thus, how sweet it is.

Once you have the syrup, all you have to do is add cold club soda and your ginger ale is ready. The syrup will keep for a week in the fridge—just add soda and enjoy. This recipe is a great springboard for so many beverages, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic.

Homemade Fresh Ginger Ale in a glass

The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi
What You'll Need to Make This Fresh Ginger Ale Recipe
A Good Vegetable Peeler
A Sharp Chef's Knife
A Nice Saucepan

"A few simple ingredients and a pretty hands-off technique; it's mostly boiling away on its own on the stovetop. It does take some time, however, to peel and chop all that ginger." —Carrie Parente

Homemade fresh ginger ale in glasses garnished with mint and ginger slices
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 4 cups water

  • 2 cups peeled and chopped fresh ginger

  • 3 strips lemon peel, about 4 inches each, yellow part only

  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

  • 3 quarts club soda, chilled

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Homemade Fresh Ginger Ale ingredients gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

  2. In a 4-quart saucepan, place water, ginger, and lemon peel. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer at a low boil, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.

    Water, ginger, and lemon peel simmering in a saucepan

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

  3. Add sugar, stirring constantly, and continue to boil until reduced to 3 cups (about 15 minutes).

    Sugar added to the lemon peel mixture in the saucepan

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

  4. Place a fine wire strainer over a large bowl. Pour in ginger syrup to separate solids from liquids. Discard lemon peel. The strained, cooked ginger pieces can be reserved for other uses like vanilla ice cream or yogurt, if desired.

    Ginger and lemon peel strained off, infused syrup in a glass bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

  5. Allow ginger simple syrup to cool before pouring into a glass container. Seal tightly and chill for at least 1 hour until cold. You can also store it for up to one week in the fridge.

    Ginger simple syrup in a glass jar

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

  6. When ready to serve, mix 1/4 cup ginger simple syrup with 1 cup cold club soda per serving and pour over ice. Additional ginger syrup or sugar may be added to sweeten it to taste.

    Homemade fresh ginger ale in a glass with a ginger garnish

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

Tips

  • Seltzer and sparkling mineral water are essentially the same as club soda, though the latter has a few mineral additives. Feel free to sub any unflavored carbonated water for the same result.
  • Avoid using actual sodas like Sprite or Pepsi in place of the club soda, as this defeats the purpose of making your own ginger ale and the end product will be much too sweet.
  • Use your ginger syrup to sweeten other beverages like hot or iced tea or to spice up a cup of hot cocoa.
  • Ginger simple syrups are a crucial ingredient to many spiked drinks, too, like this spin on the Moscow mule or a German Jägermeister cocktail.

Recipe Variations

  • Add dimension to your ginger syrup by including herbs and spices. Try adding fresh mint leaves or a cinnamon stick to the boiling water alongside the ginger and lemon.
  • Substitute half of the white sugar for brown sugar to create a rich syrup with a warm winter feel.

What Alcohol Goes Best With Ginger Ale?

Ginger ale mixes well with a variety of alcohols. Popular pairings include gin to make a gin buck and whiskey to make a whiskey ginger or Irish buck. Ginger ale can also be used as part of a slightly more complicated cocktail like a summer breeze.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
110 Calories
0g Fat
28g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 110
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 8mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 28g 10%
Dietary Fiber 0g 2%
Total Sugars 25g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 3mg 14%
Calcium 40mg 3%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 69mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)