Meet my new favorite soda mixer. As I've mentioned before, I'm a Club Soda fiend. And thanks to my new SodaStream, I get to make club soda at home whenever the heck I want it.
And if you think I don't make it every night you don't know me at all :P
My other favorite thing is ginger. A few years ago, we saw Miss Flighty whip up a batch of this thing she calls Ginger Sugar and our cocktail party seemed the perfect opportunity to try it out.
This recipe isn't exactly how Miss Flighty makes it but we adapted it to meet our tastes.
Ginger Cardamom Syrup
1 pound of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1/3 cup green cardamom pods*
2 cinnamon sticks**
2.5-3 cups raw cane sugar (depending on how much of a sweet tooth you have)***
3 cups water
* You can find green cardamom in Indian stores or the Indian food aisle of a good grocery store
** Try to use real cinnamon sticks (look for the label to say Ceylon. Most of what you find at the store is actually Cassia - we got ours at a speciality spice store)
*** I found mine at Trader Joes. You can substitute regular sugar though if you can't find it.
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil
Add ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom and let simmer for 15 minutes
Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Seriously, keep stirring, don't let it burn!
Let it simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour, stirring periodically.
Let cool completely.
Now you have some choices. Whatever you decide, toss out the cinnamon sticks. They'll just fall apart and make a mess.
You can strain the mixture and just keep the syrup, or you can do like we did and keep it all together so that you can dish our some of the ginger and cardamom in each glass as a garnish.
Store it in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks (if it lasts that long!).
If you are a ginger ale fan, you have to make this syrup! Add a tablespoon or two to a glass of club soda and you have fresh homemade ginger ale in a few seconds that is better than anything you could buy at the store! Sooooo refreshing!
But of course, this syrup is also perfect in cocktails so expect some of those recipes very soon!