Healthy Eating Starts at Home: Ginger Ale

Ginger Ale is a carbonated drink that has the taste of a beer or wine. It provides several medicinal benefits, which can be seen below.

Ginger ales come in two varieties: "golden" and "dry". Golden ginger ale is dark colored, generally sweet to taste, with a strong ginger spice flavor. It is the older style and there is little or no difference between this and nonalcoholic versions of ginger beer. Many believe golden ginger ale is a form of ginger beer brought into North America by migrants from Eastern Europe, where it had been known for centuries. Golden ginger ale, like ginger beer, is mainly consumed as a soda type drink in its own right.

Dry ginger ale (paler, and with much less of the ginger "kick") became popular in the United States, when it was used as a mixer for alcoholic beverages, as the strong flavor of golden ginger ale was undesirable. Dry ginger ale quickly surpassed golden ginger ale in popularity, and today, golden ginger ale is an uncommon, and usually regional, drink. By contrast, dry ginger ale is produced on a vast scale for national and international consumers.

Medicinal Benefits:

It is used as a home remedy to alleviate indigestion or motion sickness.
Relieves and soothes coughs and sore throats.
It contains high levels of sugar, which can cause an osmotic shift that can affect the bowels more than the desired effect of the ginger.
Effective for nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy.
Provides natural anti-inflammatory effects.
Provides protection against Colorectal Cancer and Ovarian Cancer.
It can be used to soak sliced apples to prevent from darkening when sending them as snacks for school or trips.

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It is popular in mixed drinks, especially in nonalcoholic ones, and punch, and it is sometimes used as a nonalcoholic substitute for champagne, since the beverages resemble each other in appearance.

Ginger ale can be mixed with most hard liquors, beers and wines in many mixed drinks, and is said to mix well with everything. In Jamaica, a common way to consume ginger ale is mixed with Red Stripe beer; this is called a Shandy Graft.

For home-made recipes, I have attached some links to try out, and decide which one works for you. I'm trying mine. I'd like to try it home-made this time and see the difference.