Boy do I have a treat for all of you today. Spring is upon us, and all I want to do is sit on a patio surrounded by birds chirping and flowers blooming and sip on a yummy, refreshing drink.

Ginger beer is one of those things I get all excited about when I am out at a healthy restaurant like True Food. I also love ginger beer in cocktails. It is so good. Ginger beer is a lot like ginger ale but it is less sweet and has a sharper ginger taste, which I love. It takes about 24 hours to carbonate, but if you drink it before it is carbonated it is still wonderful, especially straight up over ice. Also, don’t mistake the word “beer” for it having alcohol in it- it is not alcoholic but tastes amazing in cocktails.

We decided to make some at home. It was phenomenal. I am not exaggerating! We have our own jug of amazing ginger beer to do whatever we want with. Dark “n” Stormy’s, Ginger Lemonades- the options are endless!

Here is the ginger beer recipe we used adapted from Paupered Chef (we are obsessed with their blog). Check out their post HERE.

Homemade Ginger Beer

• 1/2 pound fresh ginger, chopped
• 2 quarts boiling hot water
• 2 cups sugar
• Two lemons, juiced
• 1 teaspoon yeast

Directions
1. Chop the ginger and add to a large pitcher. You can leave the peels on.
2. Cover with the sugar and lemon and add the boiling water.
3. Stir well. Allow all contents to cool. When water feels lukewarm, add the yeast and cover the pitcher with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temp for about 24 hours.
4. Pour mixture through a strainer or cheesecloth into a sealable jug such as a beer growler. Add sugar as desired to sweeten. To carbonate it more, let sit out another 24 hours, then refrigerate  Make sure to open lid every once in a while to release a bit of pressure.