Spiced syrup
Ginger Syrup
Fresh-pressed and fiery, or simmered and mellow. Your call.
- 13 min total
- 1½ cups350 ml
- Keeps 3 weeks
Quick answer
Ginger syrup is sugar dissolved into fresh ginger juice for real heat, or simmered with sliced ginger for mellow warmth. For a spicy bar-style syrup, blend 150 g ginger with ¾ cup hot water, strain hard, and stir 1 cup sugar into the liquid over low heat.
How you extract ginger decides what your syrup tastes like. Simmering sliced ginger drives off the sharp, nose-tingling heat and leaves a warm, rounded spice that's lovely in tea. Blending raw ginger and pressing out the juice keeps the fire, which is what you want when the syrup has to stand in for ginger beer.
This recipe uses the blender method bartenders favor for mules and Penicillins: no juicer, no simmering, and a syrup with real bite. The mellow simmered version is below as a variation.
Tastesfieryzestywarm
The recipe
Ginger Syrup
Ingredients for 1½ cups350 ml
You’ll need: blender, nut-milk bag, small saucepan, kitchen scale, swing-top bottle, sparkling water makerblender, nut-milk bag, small saucepan, kitchen scale, swing-top bottle, sparkling water maker
Method
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Blend
Blend the chopped ginger with the hot water on high for about 1 minute, until it's a fine, frothy slurry.
5.5 oz150 g fresh ginger¾ cup180 ml water
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Strain hard
Pour the slurry into a nut-milk bag or a double layer of cheesecloth set over a bowl, then twist and squeeze until the pulp is nearly dry. You should have about 1 cup of cloudy ginger liquid.
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Settle (optional)
For a cleaner syrup, let the liquid stand for 10 minutes so the white ginger starch sinks, then pour the liquid off and leave the sludge behind.
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Sweeten
Warm the ginger liquid in a small saucepan over low heat and stir in the sugar until dissolved, 2–3 minutes. Keep it below a simmer so it stays fiery.
1 cup200 g granulated sugar
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Cool and bottle
Cool it, bottle and refrigerate. Shake before each use.
Storage. Keep it sealed in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. The heat fades slowly over that time. Some sediment settles, so shake before using. Throw it out if it smells fermented or grows mold.
Per 1 tbsp (15 ml): about 33 kcal, 8.6 g sugar (estimate).
How to use it
Moscow Mule (no ginger beer)
2 oz (60 ml) vodka, ½ oz (15 ml) lime juice and ¾ oz (22 ml) ginger syrup over ice, topped with 3–4 oz (90–120 ml) soda water.
Penicillin
2 oz (60 ml) blended Scotch, ¾ oz (22 ml) lemon juice and ⅜ oz (11 ml) each of ginger syrup and honey syrup, shaken. Float ¼ oz (7 ml) smoky Islay Scotch on top.
Full recipe and historyHomemade ginger ale
1 oz (30 ml) ginger syrup, 5 oz (150 ml) sparkling water and a squeeze of lime.
Ginger lemonade
1 part ginger syrup, 1 part lemon juice and 4 parts cold water, over ice.
Hot ginger toddy
1 tbsp (15 ml) ginger syrup and a squeeze of lemon in a mug of hot water. Add 1½ oz (45 ml) whiskey if you like.
Classic drinks with Ginger syrup
Gear for this recipe
Ninja Professional 72 oz Countertop Blender (BL610)
1000 watts pulverizes almonds for orgeat and makes no-heat blender syrup in a minute. Big pitcher for party batches.
Best for Orgeat and no-heat syrups
Takeya Flash Chill Iced Tea Maker (2 qt)
Best for Iced tea by the pitcher
Breville Citrus Press Pro (800CPXL)
Best for Lemonade and citrus by the gallon
SodaStream Terra Sparkling Water Maker
Best for Homemade sodas every day
More gear for this recipe (4)
Escali Primo Digital Kitchen Scale (11 lb)
Best for Exact ratios, every batch
Otis Classic 16 oz Swing-Top Glass Bottles (6-pack)
Best for Storing and gifting any syrup
Ellie's Best Pro Quality Nut Milk Bag (12 x 12 in)
Best for Orgeat and pulpy fruit syrups
Cuisinart Chef's Classic 1.5 qt Stainless Saucepan with Lid
Best for Every stovetop syrup
Tips for the best batch
- There's no need to peel. The skin is thin and gets strained out, so just rinse and trim any dry or dirty bits.
- For consistent batches, weigh the strained ginger liquid and add an equal weight of sugar.
- Young, smooth-skinned ginger is juicier and milder. Old, wrinkled roots are fiercer and more fibrous.
- This syrup is strong. Start with ½ oz in a drink and work up.
- The squeezed pulp still has flavor. Simmer it in water with lemon and honey for a cup of ginger tea.
Variations
Mellow simmered
Thinly slice the ginger and simmer it in 300 ml water for 20 minutes, then strain and dissolve the sugar into the liquid. It's warm and gentle, best for tea, coffee and baking.
Honey-ginger
Swap the sugar for 250 g honey stirred into the warm ginger liquid. Use ¾ oz in a Penicillin in place of separate honey and ginger syrups.
Ginger-turmeric
Blend 20 g fresh turmeric with the ginger. You get a golden color and earthy warmth that's great in hot lemon water.
Questions people ask
Do you need to peel ginger for ginger syrup?
No. The skin is thin and gets strained out with the pulp. Just rinse the root and trim any dried-out or dirty spots.
Can I use ginger syrup instead of ginger beer?
Yes. About ¾ oz of syrup plus 3–4 oz of soda water replaces 4 oz of ginger beer in a mule, and you control the sweetness and heat.
How long does homemade ginger syrup last?
About 3 weeks in a sealed bottle in the fridge, or 3 months frozen. It slowly loses heat as it ages.
Why is my ginger syrup cloudy or separated?
Fresh ginger contains starch that settles into a pale layer. It's harmless, so shake before using. For a clearer syrup, let the juice settle and pour it off the sediment before adding sugar.
Can I use ground ginger?
Not well. Ground ginger doesn't dissolve, makes a gritty, muddy syrup and tastes dusty. Fresh root is what gives ginger syrup its bright heat.