Brew it like Bruce Cost Fresh Ginger Ale - Blood Orange with Meyer Lemon

Ingredients

• 1 gallon cold water
• 4–6 oz fresh ginger, grated (or a live ginger bug)
• about 1.5 cups sugar, to taste
• 1/4 tsp champagne or ale yeast (to bottle-condition) — or skip and force-carbonate

Steps

1. Heat about half the water; dissolve the sugar, then stir in the extract or aromatics and any tuning additions below.
2. Steep off the heat to taste, then strain out any solids.
3. Top up to one gallon with cold water and cool to room temperature.
4. To carbonate: bottle with a pinch of yeast and ~1/4 tsp sugar per bottle, cap, and leave at room temp 2–4 days until fizzy — then refrigerate (open carefully). Or force-carbonate and skip the yeast.
5. Chill well and serve over ice.

To taste like Bruce Cost Fresh Ginger Ale - Blood Orange with Meyer Lemon

• Swap part of the sugar for 1–2 Tbsp molasses or brown sugar to deepen the body and add caramel.
• Simmer a cinnamon stick and a few cloves with the base, then strain.
• Add extra fresh-grated ginger (and a pinch of cayenne) for the warming heat.
• Add a small bundle of fresh herbs (sarsaparilla, dandelion) while steeping.
• Finish with a splash of fruit juice or a few crushed cherries.
• Steep the base longer and cool it slowly for a longer, lingering finish.

What you’ll need

Supplies from our store, matched to this recipe.