Ginger: It’s All the Rage
Just ask Eddie Redmayne, Emma Stone, Benedict Cumberbatch, or Prince Harry. The strawberry locks. The alabaster skin. The freckles. Now that’s good looking. Oh wait? That’s right. We’re writing a blog about spicing up drinks with fresh ginger, not super spicy redhead celebrities.
That’s a fun topic, too, but we strongly believe it is best left to the experts at Buzzfeed. Now that we reminded ourselves what we actually do around here, we can get back on topic. Ginger. There’s a reason we are crazy about ginger (and it doesn’t have to do with any of the previously mentioned people). It’s because ginger makes common cocktails extraordinary!
Get to the (Ginger) Root of It
Maybe you thought ginger was just something to munch on while you were waiting for your rainbow roll. Even though ginger can aid in digestion and has purported healing properties, it’s actually more than just functional. It’s really tasty as a mix-in to your favorite spirits.
Tasty…and a little bit of work, or rather prepping it for your cocktails can take some time. The ginger root is very dense, and in order to get a sizable amount of juice, you have to do some manual labor. Thankfully, the flavor is just as dense as the root itself. Only a little is needed to enhance your favorite cocktail.
To get to the juice, you have to get to the inside. And to do that, you have to peel the gnarly root. #ProTip: Rub the root with the edge of a metal spoon for the most efficient way to peel. This method also produces the least amount of waste and preserves the most amount of usable ginger. Win/win.
Take the naked root and juice it. Even if you don’t have a fancy juicer on hand, this step is pretty easy. Rough chop the ginger and place it in a garlic press. Squeeze the press over a bowl covered with cheesecloth and watch the juicy goodness, albeit slowly, fill the bowl. Because of the effort involved in ginger juice extraction, we recommend going big and prepping a bunch of juice at one time. It’s only advisable to keep ginger juice frozen if you’re planning on keeping it longer than a day. Ginger juice ice cubes, anyone?
The Many Shades of Ginger
It’s possible we lost you with all the work you have to do juice ginger. Keep in mind, using ginger to spice up your cocktails can be easy, as the root is really versatile. Much like Prince Harry, the ginger root is up for just about anything. It plays well with almost every spirit, making it a mixologist’s dream.
It has a rich earthy heat that can be sweetened with honey, agave nectar, or sugar and made into syrup for a different kind of cocktail. Use the thin slices of the root that you didn’t squeeze to garnish your drink. Wet the inside of the glass with ginger root oil (Amazon Prime will have it to you in 2 business days or less.) We’ve even been so bold as to rim the glass with ginger juice and then dust with a sprinkle of raw sugar.
Adding ginger to cocktails is a surefire way to kick up your mixology game. We think if Bobby Flay were a mixologist instead of a redheaded celebrity chef, he’d throw down a perfect ginger cocktail for his signature dish. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you have to “Beat Bobby Flay”, you could use our Penicillin #2 tequila cocktail recipe to move on to the next round.
Still Prefer Blondes?
We’re not naming names, but we know a few people that no matter the coaxing, pleading, and plotting we do, just can’t wrap their arms around the bite that ginger (even sugared) gives. To those people, we offer you a wide array of tequila cocktail recipes for your arsenal. You know, just in case you run into our favorite ginger chef in a dark alley or on a television set someday.
