With the release of the Stardew Valley Cookbook last month, I’ve been wanting to try some of the recipes in it, but I didn’t want to have to wait a whole other year to do a video on one, so I decided to do a drink recipe so I could do one for this month!
Especially with us just starting a new playthrough of Stardew Valley on the Variety Show, I think that now is the perfect time to do this recipe.
Though, that said, it’ll probably be a while til we’ll be able to make it in game since you need to first fully complete the community center, which will take a least a full year of gameplay if you’re lucky, then you have to repair Willy’s Boat which requires a whole bunch of rare materials and then finally you’ll be able to make it to Ginger Island, where you still have to make it all the way to the northern part of the island and enter the Volcano Dungeon which requires your watering can which you probably left at home because why would you need your watering can on a desert island but once you are able to enter the dungeon, you then have to survive 5 levels of the dungeon to make it to the shop level and then you can finally buy the ginger ale recipe. (Oh but you also have to be able to speak Dwarvish which requires you to donate all 4 randomly obtainable dwarvish scrolls to the museum and then you can talk to the merchant and buy the recipe finally.)
Thankfully, the ingredients required for the recipe aren’t too difficult to get, with the three ginger probably obtained on your long journey to the recipe and sugar available from the main grocery store.
Interestingly though, even though the irl recipe contains limes, limes don’t even exist in the game. And so, aren’t required in the game recipe of course.
And so technically, this drink isn’t made with fruit juice, but it’s also not entirely fruit-juice free and I’m the one making the rules, so I think it counts.
Thankfully, this recipe in real life isn’t nearly as involved to learn and make. And as a recipe on its own, I think that this is a really good way to use your extra ginger. Whenever I use ginger for other cooking recipes, I always end up with a lot left over, so I am definitely going to make this a lot more when I have leftover ginger.
Ingredients:
- 1 (6-inch) piece of fresh ginger
- 2-3 limes (for the zest and some wedges)
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup honey
- Some ice cubes, if desired
- 3 cups or so of plain seltzer or sparkling water
Step 1: Prepare Ginger & Limes
First, we’ll prepare the ginger syrup, so grab your ginger and peel the skin off using a knife or vegetable peeler. Cut it in half and save one half for later and thinly slice the other. Don’t worry if you can’t get all of the skin off, just make sure you get enough off so that most of the flesh is exposed.
Also, with a vegetable peeler or knife, slice off 4-5 long strips of the lime zest. Try to avoid slicing into the white pith as much as possible since this’ll make your lime zest bitter. Then, slice your limes into wedges and set these aside for later.
Step 2: Make Ginger-Lime Zest Syrup
Next, in a small saucepan, add in the thinly sliced ginger, lime zest, water, sugar, and honey. Stir to combine, then place over low heat and slowly bring to a low simmer, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn for 15 to 25 minutes or until the ginger softens.
Then, remove the saucepan from the heat and let the syrup cool completely.
Step 3: Grate More Ginger into Syrup
While you wait, finely grate the remaining ginger into a small bowl and then when your syrup is cooled, scrape the grated ginger and its juices into the cooled syrup and give it a good stir.
Step 4: Separate Solids from Syrup
Then, strain this through a sieve into a small bowl, pressing down on the pulp to extract as much liquid as possible.
Step 5: Combine Syrup & Seltzer Water
When you’re ready to serve your drink, divide the syrup amongst your glasses, about 2-3 tablespoons per glass. If you have any leftover syrup, transfer the remaining to a glass jar with a lid, where it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 14 days.
Fill the glasses with ice cubes, and then top this with the seltzer water. Use a long spoon to give each glass a good stir, then top each with a lime wedge. And with that, your ginger ale is ready to drink.