How to make ginger drinks with much less effort

I'll never go back to juicing

A bartender once told me that that if they put a drink with ginger in it on the menu, that drink will always, always sell like crazy.

But even if you love the warm flavor of ginger cocktails, I’d bet you don’t frequently make them at home. Who really wants to try to get juice out of that hard little rhizome and turn it into syrup just to mix a drink? For me, it’s the kind of thing that makes it worth going to a bar—if I had a sitter.

But a potential time-saving hack occurred to me recently. These days, ginger shots have branched out from the juice bar; they’re available in little bottles at most grocery stores. I wondered if the sub would work—especially if the shot wasn’t 100% ginger juice.

I can’t make promises for other brands, especially any that mix in apple juice, orange juice, turmeric, cayenne, etc., but I grabbed a 2-ounce Pure Green Immunity Shot and tried using it in a pretty standard 2:1 ginger syrup recipe. These particular shot lists both ginger juice and lemon as ingredients—though nothing else—and I was thrilled to discover that there was basically zero lemon flavor in the final syrup. It worked really well.

All I did was mix the ginger shot with twice as much sugar in a mason jar,heat for about 15 seconds in the microwave just to help things dissolve but not boil—we’re not looking for ginger candy here—then sealed it up to shake it until the sugar was no longer visible. You could also get the sugar dissolved with an immersion blender or regular blender and skip the warming altogether for really fresh flavor, but I wasn’t looking to do any extra cleanup.

Instead of spending 20 minutes or more chopping ginger then putting it through a juicer or blending and straining it, the entire process took me about two minutes flat. And a single shot makes enough rich ginger syrup for about five drinks.

Once you have your ginger syrup, there are so many ways to use it. Of course it’s great with seltzer and lime, like a homemade ginger ale. Add a little mango nectar or muddled fruit while you’re at it. If you swap in the sugar for honey, you’re on your way to a Peniccilin, a deliciously smoky-spicy riff on the whiskey sour. Or use your gingery soda mix in a Pimm’s Cup and pretend you picked up the habit at Wimbledon.

My first order of business was to use the syrup in a Maui Mule, a staple from the menu at Clover Club in Brooklyn. Created by bar legend Julie Reiner, it’s a fragrant, fruity, food-friendly shaken combo of pineapple and lime, with fresh ginger’s heat boosted by the warmly spiced Angostura bitters and vodka (they use Wodka at Clover Club), all softened with a little club soda.

It’s an easy-drinker. And now it’s an easy-maker, too.

Maui Mule

Adapted from Clover Club / Julie Reiner

A few notes from me:

• This drink is also delicious with gin instead of vodka; the botanical spirit makes it taste even fresher.

• I know we are taking shortcuts here, but please don’t use pineapple juice from a can. You can, however, buy pre-cut pineapple and smush it through a fine-mesh tea strainer held over your measuring cup—you’ll only need a couple of cubes to get enough juice for each drink.

• While the original recipe uses ¾ oz. lime, some may prefer a touch extra to keep things tart.

• Be sure you use a large rocks glass, as you do want room for a little dilution from the club soda. I like to add the bubbles underneath rather than “to top” so you don’t just drink the soda first thing.
  
  2 oz. vodka
  ¾ oz. (or 1 oz., to taste) fresh lime juice 
  ¾ oz. 2:1 ginger syrup (see shortcut above!)
  ½ oz. fresh pineapple juice 
  Dash Angostura bitters
  Chilled seltzer or club soda

  Garnish: Pineapple wedge or pineapple cube on a pick

Add vodka, lime juice, ginger syrup, pineapple juice, and Angostura to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Seal and shake until well chilled.

Fill a large rocks glass with ice and add a splash of chilled seltzer or club soda. Strain cocktail mixture into glass, topping with additional chilled soda. Garnish with a pineapple wedge (or cube on a pick) for extra aroma and serve.

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