Ginger Beer

This is Audrey Saunder's recipe for homemade ginger beer, which is used for the Gin-Gin Mule. It makes a very spicy, gingery, non-carbonated ginger beer. The recipe makes a full gallon, so feel free to scale it up or down as needed.

Ingredients:

• 1 gal. water
• 1 lb. ginger root (unpeeled)
• The juice of 2 limes
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar

Preparation:

Put the water in a large pot and set on high heat. Slice the ginger into circles about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Take a cup or two of the water from the pot and combine it with the ginger slices in a blender or food processor. Blend or process the ginger and water until it makes a mulchy paste. When the water comes to a boil, add the ginger puree and turn off the heat. Add the lime juice, cover, and let steep for 1 hour. Add the sugar and stir until it is dissolved. Strain through cheesecloth or a fine strainer into a large bowl. Be sure to squeeze out the best bits of liquid from the ginger mulch, either by pressing a spoon against the strainer or by squeezing out the cheesecloth (careful, it will be hot). Let cool and pour off into bottles for storage. Keeps up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.