Vernors
intro
Zesty, bubbly homemade Vernors-style golden ginger ale, the beloved Midwestern soda with sharp ginger kick and subtle vanilla sweetness, served ice-cold.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep ginger for syrup
Peel 120 grams of fresh ginger root, then slice it into uniform 1/8-inch thick slices against the grain to maximize flavor release. Place the sliced ginger in a small 1.5-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan with 480 ml of filtered water.
Simmer ginger infusion
Place the saucepan on a stovetop burner set to medium heat, bring the water to a gentle rolling boil, then reduce heat to low to maintain a soft, steady simmer. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, avoiding a violent rolling boil that would cook off delicate ginger aromatic compounds.
Sweeten and flavor syrup
Remove the saucepan from heat completely. Stir in 150 grams granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) light molasses, and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice with a wooden spoon until all sugar fully dissolves, then stir in 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract. Let the mixture steep, uncovered, for 10 minutes off the heat to let flavors meld fully.
Strain and chill base
Pour the warm ginger mixture through a fine-mesh sieve lined with 1 layer of cheesecloth into a 500 ml glass mason jar, pressing gently on the reserved ginger slices with the back of a spoon to extract all trapped flavorful liquid before discarding the spent ginger. Seal the jar tightly and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours until the syrup reaches 4°C (40°F), fully chilled.
Mix with club soda
For each individual serving, pour 120 ml (1/2 cup) of the fully chilled ginger syrup into a tall 470 ml (16-ounce) highball glass. Slowly top with 240 ml (1 cup) of ice-cold plain club soda, stirring only once very gently with a long bar spoon to combine, to preserve as much carbonation as possible.
Serve ice cold
Add 1 cup of cubed ice to each filled glass, give one final light stir to evenly chill the drink, and serve immediately with no garnish to match the classic, no-fuss Vernors serving tradition.
Tips
2.Use firm, unwrinkled fresh ginger root for the best flavor; dried ginger powder will produce a flat, harshly spicy drink that lacks Vernors’ bright, zesty character.
3.Resist adding extra molasses to deepen the soda’s color; authentic Vernors is a pale golden hue, and too much molasses will create a heavy, bitter, cola-like flavor that strays from the original taste.
OMG, this tastes EXACTLY like the Vernors I grew up drinking at my grandma’s house in Michigan! I made a double batch for our family cookout last weekend and every single person asked for the recipe. My kids even said it’s better than the store-bought stuff they beg for at the grocery store. 10/10, will be making this all summer long!
Game changer! I’ve been trying to nail a copycat Vernors for literal years, and every other recipe was either too flat, too gingery, or missing that signature warm vanilla golden note. This one? Spot on. I bottled it in flip-top bottles for my home soda shelf and it carbonated perfectly after the chill time. Pro tip: don’t skip the 2 hour chill, I tried rushing a test batch once and the flavor was totally off.
Made this for my son’s post-soccer game snack stand last week and it flew off the table! I was worried the ginger flavor would be too strong for the little kids, but it was perfectly sweet and smooth, even the picky 7 year olds asked for refills. Only thing I did different was add a tiny squeeze of lime to my own glass, chef’s kiss.
As someone who used to drink a 2-liter of Vernors a week (no shame) to help with my upset stomach, this is such a win! I love that I can control how much sugar goes in, I cut the sweetener by 1/4 and it’s still perfectly delicious. Way cheaper than buying it at the store too, especially since ginger is so cheap at my local farmers market right now. Knocked a star only because my first batch didn’t get as fizzy as I wanted, but that’s definitely user error because I forgot to seal the pitcher tight.
Took this to our annual neighborhood potluck last weekend and people were going back for thirds! Everyone kept guessing what the secret ingredient was, no one could believe it was homemade ginger ale that tastes just like Vernors. I served it over crushed ice with a little lemon wedge, it was the perfect refreshing drink on a 90 degree day.
SO good! I’ve been craving that warm, golden ginger ale taste since we moved out west and can’t find Vernors in any of the grocery stores out here. This recipe was so easy, even I didn’t mess it up and I burn toast half the time. The 25 minute cook time is totally doable on a weeknight too!
Used this as a mixer for bourbon cocktails at my backyard BBQ last Saturday and it was a home run. Way better than the generic ginger ale I usually buy, the deeper golden ginger flavor pairs so well with whiskey. My buddies kept asking where I bought the fancy craft soda, I told them I made it from scratch and they didn’t believe me!
Super easy recipe, but quick question – can I use ground ginger instead of fresh? I ran to the store earlier and they were totally out of fresh ginger root, and I really want to make this tonight for movie night with my roommates.
This brought back so many memories of drinking Vernors when I was a kid, when my grandma would give it to me to sip when I had a stomach ache. The vanilla note is exactly what I remember, I can’t believe how close this gets to the original. I’m gonna make a big batch to keep in the fridge for cold and flu season this year.
Love that this recipe uses simple, whole ingredients with no weird preservatives or artificial colors! I used coconut sugar instead of white sugar to keep it refined sugar free, and it still had that perfect golden color and rich flavor. 10/10, will be a staple in my fridge from now on.
I’m obsessed with old-school soda fountain drinks, so this was right up my alley. It’s so much smoother than the sharp, super gingery craft ginger ales you buy at the store now, it has that perfect mellow, sweet golden flavor old fashioned ginger ale is supposed to have. I added a tiny dash of molasses like some old recipes suggest and it was chef’s kiss.
Made this after a long hike last weekend when we were all hot and exhausted, and it was the most refreshing thing ever. The ginger gave it that little zing that perked everyone right up, and it wasn’t too sweet so it didn’t leave us feeling sluggish like store-bought soda does. My teen said it’s better than the name brand stuff, which is high praise coming from a kid who turns his nose up at almost everything homemade.
Super cheap to make, which is perfect for my college student budget! All the ingredients cost me less than $5 total at the grocery store, and it makes way more than a 2-liter of name brand soda costs. I added a little extra ginger to help with my post-midterm nausea, and it worked like a charm.
Another win for potluck season! I brought this to our block party a few days ago and it was gone in 20 minutes flat. I set out little add-ins: fresh mint, lemon slices, lime wedges, even some fresh berries, so people could customize their cups. Everyone raved about it, I’ve already passed the recipe along to 4 neighbors.
I love super spicy food, so I added a whole extra 2 tbsp of ginger and a tiny pinch of cayenne to this, and it was INCREDIBLE. The burn from the ginger and cayenne pairs so well with the sweet vanilla base, it’s perfect for sipping when I’m eating hot wings or spicy Thai takeout. If you love heat, don’t sleep on that tweak!
Love that I can make this without any single-use plastic bottles! I store it in my old glass swing top bottles in the fridge, and it stays good for almost a week. It’s such an easy swap to cut down on plastic waste, and it tastes better than the store-bought stuff anyway. Win-win.
Made this on our snow day last week when we were stuck inside and couldn’t run to the store for soda. The whole house smelled like warm ginger and vanilla while it was cooking, it was so cozy. We drank some warm first (like a spiced ginger tea!) then chilled the rest for later, and it was amazing both ways. Who knew homemade ginger ale was this good hot?!