Ginger

[marty mccabe]

So, I've been enthralled recently with two cocktails from Pegu Club:

The Gin-Gin Mule

And...The Jamaican Firefly

Beyond the fact that they use a great home-made non-carbonated ginger beer in each drink, I think that ginger is a great spice for cocktails.

So, with that in mind, what are some other ginger cocktails to explore?

Maybe something muddled?

[thirtyoneknots]

If you're looking for more uses for that wonderful ginger beer you made (I normally quarter the recipe for home use), try it in a Pimm's. I like to top off my Pimms with half homemade ginger beer and half soda from the siphon. Adjust ratios to taste, and you may want a dash of simepl or so in there too depending on how much you crave the ginger heat. If you're still looking for mre, try one of these from Grog Log:

Colonel Beach's Plantation Punch

1 oz lime

2 oz Pinapple juice

1/2 oz Falernum

2 oz ginger beer (use the homebrew here)

2 dashes Angostura

dash pastis

2 oz Dark Jamaican rum(I used Appleton Extra when I tried it)

1 oz Gold Puerto Rican rum (I used Flor de Cana gold)

1/2 oz Barbados (Mt Gay Eclipse)

Shake with cup of crushed ice and pour into tall glass. Add ice cubes to fill.

Nice enough drink. Not one to make you reevaluate the universe, but rather pleasant when you have a Saturday afternoon that needs wasting.

-Andy

[Chris Amirault]

I've been fiddling with these two, using a ginger syrup that's 1:1 simple with plenty of ginger thrown in for a hot steep. If I'm feeling motivated, I'll grate a little fresh for extra bite.

Gingered Gentleman

2 oz bourbon

3/4 oz ginger syrup

1 oz lime

handful of muddled mint

Stir with ice in highball glass and top with Reed's ginger beer and a mint sprig.

Salty Dog Variation

2 oz anejo tequila

3/4 oz lime

3/4 oz ginger syrup

1 t salt

Stir with ice in highball glass and top with Half n Half or other grapefruit soda. (Adjust for sweetness if it's a sugary pop.)

[thirtyoneknots]

I've been fiddling with these two, using a ginger syrup that's 1:1 simple with plenty of ginger thrown in for a hot steep. If I'm feeling motivated, I'll grate a little fresh for extra bite.

←

Do you consider fresh ginger syrup a clutch ingredient here, or would Monin suffice? Also, how well does ginger syrup retain it's heat? I know the fresh ginger beer is good usually for about 2 weeks, maybe three if you're careful with it, but I was wondering if perhaps the sugar helped retain the flavor?

-Andy

[marty mccabe]

Ginger syrup is next on my list. The recipe for it in "The Art of the Bar" gives a two week shelf life, so I'm inclined to think of it much on the same lines as the ginger beer.

[hummingbirdkiss]

I won prize money in a contest for coming up with this cocktail!

it is really good!!!

Sake Plum Cocktail

Pour 1/4 cup each sake, plum wine and vodka into a 3-cup cocktail shaker filled with ice. Add 1 thin slice (the size of a quarter) fresh ginger. Shake until drink is well chilled, about 20 seconds. Strain into martini glasses. Garnish each glass rim with a thin slice of crystallized ginger and a tiny wedge of lime.

[KatieLoeb]

A former coworker of mine came up with a really delicious muddled ginger and bourbon cocktail I tried recently. I'll see if I can get the recipe from him. It was very refreshing.

[Nathan]

a friend of mine through a dinner party recently and she made some sort of ginger syrup (a relatively complicated process involving overnight steeping etc.)...it was quite spicy and robust.

I mixed it with rye and lemon juice and the result was fantastic. unfortunately, I haven't been able to reproduce her ginger syrup at home yet.

[Chris Amirault]

Do you consider fresh ginger syrup a clutch ingredient here, or would Monin suffice? Also, how well does ginger syrup retain it's heat? I know the fresh ginger beer is good usually for about 2 weeks, maybe three if you're careful with it, but I was wondering if perhaps the sugar helped retain the flavor?

←

The sugar helps retain the flavor indefinitely, but, as slkinsey said over here, the hot steep which helps to retain the ginger flavor doesn't, sadly, retain the heat. That's why, when you want the extra bite, it's worth grating a bit of fresh ginger. Ginger syrup is more like candied ginger: intense, sweet, but not hot. Either way, the ginger syrup is more potent than the Monin.

[MikeInSacto]

The sugar helps retain the flavor indefinitely, but, as slkinsey said over here, the hot steep which helps to retain the ginger flavor doesn't, sadly, retain the heat. That's why, when you want the extra bite, it's worth grating a bit of fresh ginger. Ginger syrup is more like candied ginger: intense, sweet, but not hot. Either way, the ginger syrup is more potent than the Monin.

←

I also found that using a garlic press to squeeze ginger juice into the syrup added a nice kick.

[Mayur]

The sugar helps retain the flavor indefinitely, but, as slkinsey said over here, the hot steep which helps to retain the ginger flavor doesn't, sadly, retain the heat. That's why, when you want the extra bite, it's worth grating a bit of fresh ginger. Ginger syrup is more like candied ginger: intense, sweet, but not hot. Either way, the ginger syrup is more potent than the Monin.

←

I also found that using a garlic press to squeeze ginger juice into the syrup added a nice kick.

←

That's my favored tactic as well. Using ginger juice and ginger syrup in tandem usually does wonders. I just drop a bunch of chopped ginger (peels and all) into my juice extractor, although my local deli sells something called Belvoir ginger cordial which appears to basically just be pasteurized ginger juice. Does fine.

What about a hot steep plus cold steep, though? Anyone just try doing that? It works in some other infused syrups; how 'bout this one? After all, why would gingerol just vanish out of a ginger syrup if you dropped fresh ginger into it and sealed it?

[thirtyoneknots]

The sugar helps retain the flavor indefinitely, but, as slkinsey said over here, the hot steep which helps to retain the ginger flavor doesn't, sadly, retain the heat. That's why, when you want the extra bite, it's worth grating a bit of fresh ginger. Ginger syrup is more like candied ginger: intense, sweet, but not hot. Either way, the ginger syrup is more potent than the Monin.

←

I also found that using a garlic press to squeeze ginger juice into the syrup added a nice kick.

←

That's my favored tactic as well. Using ginger juice and ginger syrup in tandem usually does wonders. I just drop a bunch of chopped ginger (peels and all) into my juice extractor, although my local deli sells something called Belvoir ginger cordial which appears to basically just be pasteurized ginger juice. Does fine.

What about a hot steep plus cold steep, though? Anyone just try doing that? It works in some other infused syrups; how 'bout this one? After all, why would gingerol just vanish out of a ginger syrup if you dropped fresh ginger into it and sealed it?

←

As in so many other things, oxidation would be my guess.

[marty mccabe]

When I make ginger beer, I microplane the ginger into a bowl and then dump the ginger and any accumulated juices into the pot.

I don't own a garlic press (I think they're evil), but I've never seen something that gets more out of ginger than the microplane.

[Mayur]

After all, why would gingerol just vanish out of a ginger syrup if you dropped fresh ginger into it and sealed it?

←

As in so many other things, oxidation would be my guess.

←

Well, sure. But my question is really about the volatility of gingerol. As a capsacin-like substance (I believe), it should have a decent shelf life, no? Wouldn't just vacuum-sealing the container work?

[slkinsey]

Gingerol is a relative of capsaicin. Heat, oxidation and and degradation over time transform gingerol into the compound zingerone. Zingerone is not present in fresh ginger and it's an aromatic flavor compound that isn't spicy-hot like gingerol. Gingerol seems to degrade fairly rapidly in a sugar-syrup solution (perhaps due to oxidation?). I've had some bottled ginger beers that have kept s good bite for quite some time in the bottle, but I have to assume that some special handling, processing or treating makes this possible. Experience says that ginger-infused simple syrup doesn't have much bite after a few days.

Edited June 14, 2007 by slkinsey (log)

[jsmeeker]

I made a bunch ginger vodka gimlets when I had some ginger infused simple syrup I made for some stir fry.

Basically, it's just a simple syrup (2 parts sugar 1 part water) made with a bunch of fresh, sliced ginger. Let it simmer in the sauce pan for 20 minutes or so.

To make the cocktail, it's just some fresh lime juice, some vodka, and some of the syrup. Next time, I'll try it with gin. And I also think I'll try the trick squeezing out some fresh ginger jucice with a garlic press to get some extra kick.

[FrogPrincesse]

This one is really simple, a twist on the Canadian club and ginger ale. It's delicious and refreshing.

Ginger and Rye

2 oz rye, 3 oz ginger ale/beer (ratio from The Joy of Mixology)

[haresfur]

This one is really simple, a twist on the Canadian club and ginger ale. It's delicious and refreshing.

Ginger and Rye

2 oz rye, 3 oz ginger ale/beer (ratio from The Joy of Mixology)

A few ml of Fernet Branca could go nicely in this.

[FrogPrincesse]

This one is really simple, a twist on the Canadian club and ginger ale. It's delicious and refreshing.

Ginger and Rye

2 oz rye, 3 oz ginger ale/beer (ratio from The Joy of Mixology)

A few ml of Fernet Branca could go nicely in this.

Great idea! Ginger and Fernet, always a good combo.

[Kent Wang]

You can put ginger through an electric juicer, like the Philips HR1861 I have. All the gingerol is in the juice; the remaining pulp is bland.

This is by far the easiest way to get a lot of ginger juice. With this method, I don't even see a need for syrups and ginger beer.

[FrogPrincesse]

Continuing to explore ginger cocktails to use my homemade ginger beer.

Eva Péron

1 oz fernet-branca

1 oz sweet vermouth

1 oz ginger liqueur

1 oz lime

1 oz ginger beer

It's a acquired taste... It grew on me as I was sipping on it, but I've never been a huge fan of Fernet.

[FrogPrincesse]

Last night I had a Jamaican Firefly (Audrey Aunders): Jamaican rum (I used Appleton 12 yr), homemade ginger beer, lime juice, simple syrup.

Although it's mentioned in the first post of the thread, I had never tried it. It's really lovely. I need to remember to buy some candied ginger for the ganish.

Replace the rum with gin, reduce the amount of ginger beer by half, add mint, and you get the Gin Gin Mule which is already part of my rotation.

[EvergreenDan]

Fernet and ginger is a great combination (Eva Péron). A full ounce of Fernet is quite an introduction, though. I'd feel free to scale that down to, say, a teaspoon. Fernet grows on you, albeit slowly. You can always add more.

[FrogPrincesse]

Fernet and ginger is a great combination (Eva Péron). A full ounce of Fernet is quite an introduction, though. I'd feel free to scale that down to, say, a teaspoon. Fernet grows on you, albeit slowly. You can always add more.

You are right, a full ounce is a lot of Fernet. Reducing the amount sounds like the way to go for me, at least for now!

[FrogPrincesse]

A lot of good discussions about Sam Ross' Penicillin (which, strangely, has not been mentioned in this thread) in the Scotch cocktail thread.

Last week, I tried the Son of a Beesting (you have to love a Ron Burgundy reference!), Michael Madrusan's lighter take on the Penicillin: gin, lemon juice, ginger, honey syrup, rosewater. I liked how it highlighted the spices in the gin (I used Beefeater). It's a little bit like a summer version of the Penicillin.

I am using Canton again although ginger syrup is specified. I find that it works fine in mixed drinks; it has less bite than fresh ginger for sure, but it works for my husband who is somewhat ginger-timid. I don't think that I will feel the need to buy a new bottle once this one is finished though.

In addition to this thread, there is a nice collection of ginger cocktails in the MxMo XL: Ginger discussion.