Add 1 cup sugar to the 2 liter bottle with a dry funnel.
Measure out 1/4 tsp brewers
yeast - add yeast through funnel into the bottle; shake to
disperse the yeast grains into the sugar granules.
Use fresh ginger root - grate the ginger root
to produce 1-1/2 tbspn grated root, place in the cup measure
Juice a whole lemon, add the juice to the grated ginger
and stir to form a slurry - add the slurry to the
bottle.
Fill the bottle to the neck with fresh cool clean water,
leaving about an inch of head space, securely screw cap down to seal. Invert
repeatedly to thoroughly dissolve sugar.
Place in a warm location for 24 to 48 hours.
Test to see if carbonation is complete by squeezing the
bottle, if it compresses easily it is not ready. Caution
- Do not leave
at room temperature longer than necessary to feel "hard." The
excess pressure may explode the
bottle or cause an eruption when you open it!
Once the bottle feels hard, usually
only 24-48 hours, place in the refrigerator. Before opening, refrigerate it
overnight to thoroughly chill. Crack the lid in the morning to release the pressure slowly.
Filter the ginger ale through a strainer
to remove
floating pieces of ginger.
Clean, sterilize, re-rack and
refrigerate bottle or serve ginger ale immediiately. There are no preservatives
so it will not have the shelf life of store bought sodas!
