I credit my amazing friend Beth as being one of the people to spike my interest in the ginger flavor.  She’s raved about the flavor many times.  Since I began to dabble with this flavor, I quickly jumped in full force.  In fact, these Double Ginger Crackles rank really high on my list of favorite cookies.  I’ve made not one but two different muffins involving the ginger flavor (#1 and #2).  The flavor goes well with salmon, shrimp, chicken and more.  And OF COURSE… in cocktails.  So many amazing drinks I’ve been enjoying involve either ginger syrup, ginger beer, or even candied ginger.  Like ones I’ve had at Tavern (1920), Holland House (Pimm’s Cup), and No. 308 (Whiskey Ginger), as well as the ever faithful Jackson’s (Misery & Gin) & Rumba (Cumberland Sidecar, Kentucky Karma, & many more).

Thanks to the wonders of Twitter, last fall I was tipped off to a specialty latte being made at my former neighborhood coffee shop, and one of my favorite places, Dose.  I can’t remember if it was Kelly or Kira that first mentioned Dose’s Ginger Latte, but I kid you not, I drove over there that.very.day to experience it for myself.  It was every bit as good as I imagined.  I’ve ordered quite a few since then, and as the weather turned warm this past spring, I switched to iced coffee with ginger syrup.  As I began to transition into my Starbucks Iced Via addiction I really wanted to add that ginger flavor to my coffee at home.  So finally I set to it, and made this ginger syrup.  And then I immediately made another batch.  I’m not kidding.  I quickly realized between the coffee & the cocktails, I’d go through this pretty quick.  Plus, I wanted to make some extra to give as a birthday gift to the girl who kickstarted my love of ginger!  Though I was about 2 months belated in my gift giving, I think Beth still appreciated the syrup!

This syrup tastes GREAT in my morning iced coffee, or in fresh squeezed lemonade, and of course cocktails.  Quite a few times I’ve had bourbon, over ice with a dash of this syrup, and a splash of Domain de Canton Ginger Liqueur.  If you’re looking for a cocktail to whip up with this ginger syrup, I can highly recommend the Ginger Rogers, on Beth’s blog!

This recipe says to simmer 30 minutes to 1 hour. I realize that is a large range of time, but remember this is a gentle simmer, not a full boil. The range of time will help determine the consistency of your syrup. If you want your syrup on the thinner side, simmer this for less time, if you want a thicker syrup, simmer it for the full 1 hour.

Print

Ginger Syrup

Yield: 2 cups

Cook Time: 1 hour

Often to save time, I start the sugar and water to boil, then begin prepping the ginger. Once I have turned off the heat, I like to let the syrup "rest" for a few hours or overnight to cool completely and also really absorb more ginger flavor. To strain I use a fine mesh strainer.

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 six-inch piece fresh ginger, diced or cut into slivers

Directions:

Place sugar, ginger, and water in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until ginger flavor is quite strong, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. (The longer you simmer the thicker the syrup will be.) Remove from heat, cover and let cool. Strain before using. Refrigerate.

adapted from Martha Stewart