This is the recipe my Nanna used to make, it reminds me of summer holidays and Christmases.
It is slightly alcoholic and very fizzy so take care when opening the bottles. I always do it over the sink.
Ginger Beer Plant
First of all you have to make your starter, the ginger beer plant
- 57 gms (2 oz) yeast
- 284 ml (1/2 pt) water
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp sugar
Plus 1 tsp each of sugar and ground ginger daily until the end of time (or until you get bored)
- Mix yeast, water, ginger and sugar in a jar, cover and keep at room temperature
- Feed with 1 tsp ginger and sugar every day for a week
You should see the fermentation start within a couple of days
Ginger Beer
Makes just under 4 litres – use 8 500ml bottles, you need space for the fizz when you open it
- 570 ml (1 pt) boiling water
- 454 gms (1 lb) sugar
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 3.4 litre (6 pts) cold water
- Start by dissolving the sugar in the boiling water in a large pan.
- Strain the ginger beer plant through 2 layers of muslin cloth, do not throw away either the sediment or liquid, you need both.
- Once sugar has dissolved add the cold water, lemon juice and liquid from the plant. If you add it to hot water you will kill the yeast and get flat ginger beer.
- Decant into clean sterilised screw top bottles.
- Do not over fill
- Leave in a dark cool place for 3 days to allow fermentation to continue.
Take half the Ginger Beer plant sediment, add to 284 ml cold water in jar and start the process again of daily feeding.
