My husband and I were recently in a Japanese restaurant in Dublin, CA, and ordered a house-made ginger soda. It was so good, I had to ask them how they made it. The bar staff were really great and not only told me, but showed me how to make it too! If I particularly enjoy something in a restaurant, I always ask if the chef would be willing to share the recipe with me. In almost every case, the chef gives me the how-tos. Sometimes, the chef even comes out and discusses it with me. Score! 
Until about 5 years ago, I really didn’t care for the taste of ginger. When I was little, it was always the candy that spoiled the box of chocolates. Strangely enough, years later while patiently waiting for my food to arrive in a Japanese restaurant, I started eating the pickled ginger and discovered to my surprise how much I liked it. Then when I was on a juicing fast I started adding more and more ginger to my juices. I really loved how it lit up my mouth! Now I use it all the time – both in drinks and in a huge variety of recipes.
This recipe really couldn’t be easier, and when I discovered Costco sells a huge tub of ginger for around $5, I couldn’t wait to try out this amazing ginger syrup.
When you’re adding the ingredients to the blender carafe, put in the washed, chopped ginger first – no need to peel it as you’re going to strain the liquid later. Look at the contents of the jug: what you then need to do is add half of that total volume in lemon juice, then pour in agave to the top of the ginger. In this picture, the lemon juice was added to the ginger first, followed by the agave – which will sink to the bottom.
After blending, pour the contents into a nut milk bag/large piece of cheesecloth/muslin, and squeeze over a bowl until all the juice has been removed. Toss the pulp, and then decant the syrup into a bottle or jar with a tight-fitting lid.
- 2 Cups Fresh Ginger, washed, no need to peel it
- 6 Lemons, Juiced
- Raw Agave Syrup (See instructions)
- Nut Milk Bag or Muslin
- Peel and roughly chop the ginger into 2" pieces.
- Juice the lemons.
- Put the ginger in the mixer, then add about half of that volume of lemon juice (visually in the blender carafe)
- Add the rest of the volume (visually in the blender carafe) to the top with Agave Syrup
- Blend in a high-speed blender on full power for approximately 2 minutes
- Remove the lid (avoid breathing in too deeply - this is strong stuff!)
- Strain the mixture through the nut milk bag or muslin into a storage jar/bottle with a tight-fitting lid.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to a month.
- Use about a Tablespoon in a glass and top with soda water, sprite, tonic water or spring water.
- Add hot water to make a warming ginger toddy.
- Use a Tablespoon of syrup, a shot of vodka and top with tonic to make a light pre-dinner drink!
Also note that the contents of the carafe may be hot to the touch after blending - you are running the blender for several minutes, which can really heat up the contents!
The amount of lemon juice and agave you use will depend on the volume of ginger. Put the ginger into the blender carafe and visually note where the top is. You want to fill approximately half of that volume with lemon juice and the other half with agave syrup.
Nutritional breakdown is approximate and for general information only, and will vary depending on specific brands and measurements used.
Nutritional breakdown is approximate and for general information only, and will vary depending on specific brands and measurements used.
If you do not have a high-powered blender (I use a Vit-a-Mix), you will likely need to cut your ginger into smaller chunks and run your blender for at least 3 minutes.
This Food & Travel Blog is all about my love of fruits and veggies, and about using as many as I can during the course of the week - whether at home or abroad. In fact, you could say I'm mental for veggies!
Leave a Reply