Back in the late 90’s when alchopops hit the UK, Smirnoff were selling a bottle version of their Moscow mules.
I did drink some, although in my defence I was under-age at the time.
Old Jamaica ginger beer is pretty much all you can get in the shops round here, but it’s pretty good so…
I’m just going to put in a vote for Dark 'N Stormies and end this whole mess. Why wouldn’t you prefer dark rum with a good ginger beer?
Reed’s, Barritt’s, and Goslings are all very good.
I was gifted a set of these. I learned that not only is the drink fairly nasty, I also learned that copper mugs are just about the worst possible choice for a cold beverage unless of course your plan is to make the cold beverage room temp as soon as possible.
I will try the Maine Root. Thank you!
Not interested in the Moscow Mule–I can drink stuff that tastes terrible together once I’ve gotten drunk on stuff that tastes really good together.
THAT SAID: Bali High. “Bali Hai” is a nonsensical Hollywood TV show title, whereas “Bali High” is only one of the greatest surf flicks ever to grace the big screen. EVAR.
Cat does not look amused. Not one bit.
Whoa, where do you find Old Tyme? I haven’t seen that stuff in maybe thirty years, but pre-alcohol-drinking me sure loved that burn.
I see it’s available online, (with a badly redesigned label featuring what appears to be a brogrammer attending the Edwardian Ball,) but it seems to have disappeared from stores, even BevMo and the specialized weird archaic soda pop stores that stock things like Cheer-wine and Moxie.
Bundaberg, thankfully, has gotten very common in cocktail bars here on the left coast. It’s usually that or Cock & Bull.
Oof, no. Reed’s is potable but it’s not nearly sharp enough, and it’s got unwelcome honey notes that soften it even further.
SOOO your surf flick predates the '49 show tune? The polysnesian craze that lead to it/followed from it? And the WWII era events that inspired said musical/concept?
Yeah that “Jamaiacan style” Reed’s uses is way too sweet for me, it’s got effin’ pineapple in there acc. to their label, along with the honey, and pretty much an entire fruit bowl of whatever it is Jamaicans thought was a good idea at the time.
At least their “Extra Ginger” version does taste gingery. So it’s the most potable of the lot (IMO) and will suffice in a pinch. It’s just not dry enough for me. And you’re right–all that fruit bowl and honey falderal makes it hard to appreciate the ginger in Reed’s ginger beers.
It’s hard to know, when asked for a commercially available brand with wide distribution in the States (as @hello_friends had asked), what is on the store shelves. I take heart that the microbrewers of hard cider and craft beers and other fermented drinkables may one day turn their attention and talents to ginger beer, a drink with laudable healing properties (digestive, anti-inflammatory, circulatory aid, etc.) and not just something to drink when you want your hair to stand on end. All your hair. Or follicles, for the hair-challenged.
I noted several brands I have never heard of in this thread. Something to look forward to…
I wondered too about homebrew recipes. Microbrews and local producers are the best hope.
In MT and the northwest, I actually feel more optimistic of finding producers than in CA.
Even in the agricultural region of CA, not as much as one might hope, because corporate hegemony.
As long as you can obtain some fresh ginger root (organic, preferably!)… behold:
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups water
3 teaspoons organic sugar
3 teaspoons diced ginger
Additional sugar and ginger for maintenance
Instructions for Making A Ginger Bug:
Combine all ingredients in a quart jar.
Place a tight lid on the jar, give it a shake, and ferment in a warm spot (72-80°F) for 24 hours.
Every day for the next week add 2 teaspoons each of sugar and diced ginger. The liquid will begin to bubble towards the end of the week. If you’re using the classic cap-and-band jar lid, you will be able to feel the top of the lid for pressure. Once there are bubbles forming at the top of the mixture, it’s ready to use for soda making.
To keep the bug alive and continue growing it, feed it daily using the proportions above. Or rest it in the refrigerator and feed it 1 tablespoon each of ginger and sugar once per week. To reactivate the ginger bug for making soda, bring bug to room temperature and begin feeding it again daily (step 3, above).
Instructions for Making Cultured Sodas:
Mix ¼ cup ginger bug starter into 1 quart of sweetened and flavored liquid
Pour into a bottle with a tight seal, such as our Grolsch-style flip-top bottle (a bottle that has a metal bail and a rubber gasket on the top), and ferment for 2-3 days. (These will explode if you leave them alone for too long. ¡Cuidado!)
source:
Try not to rinse off that ginger root too much. The writer doesn’t make it clear you must leave the skin on. Skin on! Skin on!
Ok.
I love Sandor Katz’s works (he has several books out, all well-tested and utterly competent) and he wrote this ginger bug “recipe” which appears in Grist. I note a total lack of proportions. If you’re more freeform in the kitchen and don’t love measuring stuff, go for Katz’s recipe. That guy–a hero to me. Healed himself of life-threatening illness with fermented goodies. Big wow.
I realize that I am about to crosspost this in the Fermentation thread… but as I only recently discovered a whole bunch of threads on this bbs, I feel it may be of service to someone who hasn’t discovered what riches await.
ETA: I put in a link to the actual bOINGbOING Fermenting area… sorry it took so long to occur to me!
That’s terrific! Thank you so much. I’m going to bookmark try this one. It looks a little less intimidating than kombucha. I’m not sure why. 
Also, yummier!
Oh I dunno about that. I do love a good ginger beer… but…
This stuff is unbelievably delicious:
http://kosmickombucha.com/the-flavas/
It’s stuff like this that made me re-start my kombucha home production. I was totally getting out of hand on the expenditures with this.
If you are in Austin, Texas, send me a message and I’ll pull one for you at Wheatsville South. It’s on tap there! Nothing tastes better on a really hot day.
ETA: I don’t work there. There’s no financial gain for me plugging this, apart from my being a member of the co-op… I am however interested in the longevity of the co-op. I really like that they have at least one locally made kombucha on tap all the time, and Pear of the Dog was made for the co-op.
I had no idea that was coincidentally also an english word, I only know it in Japanese for kelp tea.
Oh wow I really want to know more about this one, and not just because I’ve got a 2-gallon glass jar of dried kelp from Ironbound Island either. I love all kinds of tea.
Have you ever had this kelp tea?
Unfortunately, when I am in Texas it’s either Dallas or several hours away in the middle of nowhere. But thank you for the offer, and hopefully SOMEDAY I’ll get to Austin finally and be able to cash in that promise.
Though I have to say: kombucha PLUS prickly pear PLUS orange and lime PLUS olive juice (??) sounds like the time my daughter decided to put all the available toppings on top of her ice cream sundae at a restaurant, leading her to the realization that too many disparate things mixed together are NOT better than just one or two well-matched options.
