This spicy Ginger Lime Syrup features a potent ginger flavor. Use it as a Moscow Mule or Dark & Stormy mix, or to make non-alcoholic cocktails.
Summer is the best time for cocktails right? It's definitely the season when I make them most often. When it's hot, I don't feel like red wine, and often want something a little sweeter than beer.
However, since moving back to Canada, I lost a lot of kitchen storage space. I no longer have a huge walk-in pantry that could house countless bottles of alcohol and mixes to make cocktails. I really need to keep my cocktail-making supplies to a minimum.
This is especially true when it comes to bulky sodas. I like to keep sparkling water on hand, but that's about it. I just don't have room to store things like tonic water and ginger beer that I use only occasionally. So when I do want to make a cocktail, I find myself making my mix from scratch. This Ginger Lime Syrup is one great example.
I recently found myself thinking about making a Moscow Mule, but didn't have any ginger beer on hand. Sure, I could run to the store and get some, but then I'd have to store the leftovers. Besides, I already had ginger, lime, and sugar on hand, so why not try to make some myself?
After a quick check of my spice cabinet, I found a bag of leftover candied ginger that I had from another project, and decided to use that instead of the fresh ginger, saving myself some peeling and chopping.
How to make Ginger Lime Syrup:
Making your own flavor-filled Ginger Lime syrup takes only a few ingredients. You will also need a blender, but it doesn't need to be an expensive high-powered one.
Making the syrup starts with steeping the candied ginger in boiling water to soften it. Then transfer the mixture to your blender and blend until smooth. Strain it through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing all the liquid out of the pulp with the back of a spoon.
Stir in the sugar and lime juice, pour it into an airtight jar or bottle, and chill. Now you're ready to make delicious, spicy, and sour drinks with or without alcohol!
Ginger Lime Syrup Ingredients:
- Candied ginger: Also commonly known as crystallized ginger. Find it in bulk food stores (Bulk Barn in Canada is a great option) or departments. It might also be available in the baking aisle. Also widely available online.
- Water: whatever you normally use for drinking or cooking. Tap water is fine.
- Lime juice: Fresh is best, but if all you have is bottled lime juice, that works too.
- Sugar: I used regular old granulated sugar, but another sweetener of your choice would work too, maybe with a quantity adjustment depending on what you want to use.
How to use Homemade Ginger Lime Syrup:
This syrup is great to keep in your fridge to make almost instant cocktails, as well as non-alcoholic drinks. Here's what you can make:
Moscow Mule:
Fill a copper mug about halfway with ice. Add 1-2 ounces of vodka, and 2-4 ounces of Ginger Lime syrup depending on how strong, and how sweet you want your drink. Top with plain sparkling water and stir gently.
Dark and Stormy:
Fill a glass about halfway with ice. Add 1-2 ounces of dark rum, and 2-4 ounces of Ginger Lime syrup depending on how strong, and how sweet you want your drink. Top with plain sparkling water and stir gently.
Non-Alcoholic Cocktail:
Fill a glass about halfway with ice. Add 2-4 ounces of Ginger Lime Syrup, depending on how sweet you want your drink. Top with plain (or flavored if you want to get creative) sparkling water and stir gently.
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Ginger Lime Syrup Nutrition Notes:
The nutrition information in the recipe below assumes the full use of the candied ginger, and does not account for the pulp that gets discarded.
However, when I made my syrup, I was left with very little pulp after straining (less than 1 Tablespoon), so I would consider the nutrition information to be fairly accurate.
Also, keep in mind that the calculations include the syrup only, and do not account for anything you might add when you're mixing a drink (no alcohol is included in the calculation).
Ginger Lime Syrup (Moscow Mule or Dark & Stormy Mix)
Ingredients
- 1 cup candied ginger (see note)
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup lime juice
- ½ cup sugar
Recipe Equipment
- 1 Blender
Instructions
- Add the candied ginger and the water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat off, and let the ginger sit in the hot water for 30 minutes.
- Transfer the candied ginger-water mixture to a blender. Blend on high speed for 30-60 seconds until smooth.
- Pour the ginger mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl or large (4-cup) measuring cup. Use the back of a spoon to press all of the liquid out of the ginger solids left in the strainer. Discard any remaining ginger pulp.
- Stir the lime juice and sugar into the strained ginger liquid. Transfer the mixture to a large airtight jar or bottle and refrigerate until fully chilled.
To serve:
- Pour over ice and add sparkling water to taste to make a delicious non-alcoholic cocktail.Pour over ice and add 1-2 ounces of vodka and sparkling water to make a Moscow Mule. Serve in a copper mug.Pour over ice and add 1-2 ounces of dark rum and sparkling water to make a Dark and Stormy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer: I try my best to make sure the nutrition information I provide is accurate to provide you with the best information possible. However, due to ingredient discrepancies and other factors, the above nutrition information should be considered an estimation only.
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