I've always wondered how to make ginger beer, and I can tell you that it is truly the easiest thing to do! Perfect for summer, this yeast free ginger beer is a fun and non-alcoholic drink that has a kick of spice and is so refreshing. A vegan, gluten-free and low histamine drink to enjoy.
Non-alcoholic drinks can be flavourful and fun, and if you prefer to stick to mocktails then you may like to see my peach honey mocktail and blackberry honey mocktail. Both perfect for a treat on a summer's evening!
This recipe is inspired by the Jamie Oliver ginger beer, but made without citrus and with some other swaps and substitutions.
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A fun non-alcoholic drink for summer
My dad is the biggest ginger beer fan. He will have a 'real' beer now and then, but his 'order' in the summer is usually a non-alcoholic ginger beer. There is always a stash in his garage!
It hasn't really been on my radar in the past, as I was definitely a gin and tonic kind of a girl. But following a low histamine diet now means alcohol isn't possible, so I decided to go about seeing whether making your own ginger beer was possible - and it definitely is (so easy!).
We all want to have a fun summer drink to enjoy with friends and family, so I hope that this works as an option for you. My friends on my Low Histamine Kitchen Instagram were very enthusiastic with 93% of respondents to a poll saying 'yes please' to me posting this recipe!
Ingredients
A very simple 'few ingredients' recipe, that is yeast free and citrus free. You will need:
- Ginger: you definitely need to use fresh ginger for this recipe, as it will provide all that ginger flavour! I love that it is such an inexpensive ingredient and one with a lot of health benefits too.
- Cane sugar: to combine with the ginger to give sweetness and draw out the 'juice' of the ginger.
- Sparkling water: I suggest using a plain sparkling water rather than a mineral water so the ginger taste shines through.
Variations to the recipe
If you are not on a low histamine diet, or are able to tolerate citrus, then you can add in some fresh lemon juice.
It may also be nice to add the mint into the mix, rather than just as a garnish if you fancy a slightly minty taste too!
Step by step instructions
I always thought that making your own ginger beer would be very complicated. A bit like how traditional jam is a little bit of a hassle, with sterilising jars and thermometers etc.
It turns out that making yeast-free ginger beer is the easiest thing. Perhaps it isn't strictly 'beer' if it doesn't have yeast, but I think it tastes just the same and who doesn't like a recipe with as few ingredients as possible!
- Mix your freshly grated ginger with the sugar, and give it a very good stir. In fact, press it, bash it a bit, make sure it is as combined as possible so the ginger releases its juice.
- Pour on the sparkling water and then set aside for 10 minutes or so.
- Pass the liquid through a fine sieve. It's best to do so into a jug, as that will make it easier to pour into your glasses.
- Garnish with some mint sprigs and enjoy!
Recipe tips
- Use fresh ginger, as older ginger can be a little dried out and won't give you as much juice to make your ginger beer.
- Spend a little time muddling the mixture, as this will bring out the flavour.
- Personally I wouldn't use a mineral water that has a strong 'mineral' taste if you see what I mean, as it will change the flavour a great deal.
More fun summer drinks to enjoy:
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Ginger beer (yeast free)
Ingredients
- ½ cup fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 3 tablespoon cane sugar
- 4 cups sparkling water
- mint to garnish
Instructions
- Peel the ginger, and then grate with the coarse side of the grater. Add to a bowl along with the sugar. Muddle the mixture (stir, combine and press with the back of a spoon). Pour on the sparkling water.
- Leave the ginger mixture to combine for 10-15 minutes.
- Pass the liquid through a sieve into a jug. Discard the ginger.
- Pour the ginger beer into your glasses, add ice and garnish with fresh mint.
Notes
- Spend time muddling the mixture, pressing and even bashing(!) the ginger together with the sugar to release the juices. This will bring out the flavour.
- I suggest using a plain sparkling water rather than mineral water, as the latter would change the taste a great deal.
- ginger, which scores 1. There is a note stating 'Small amounts are well tolerated'.
- sparkling water is rated on the SIGHI list.
Alison Hayes says
This looks delicious! I love how you focus on finding the 'easy' button while making an amazing-sounding mocktail!
Adding in mint sounds especially tasty, as I am a huge fan of mint.
throughthefibrofog says
So glad you like the sound of it Alison!