Homemade Ginger Ale

I don't know why I don't post more often about drinks. I am the beverage queen. I always have a drink in my hand. Okay that sounds kind of bad. Let me clarify. While it's true that these hands are no stranger to cocktail hour, I mean more like of the less adult variety. And since we've been going through a heatwave I needed some serious refreshment. This homemade ginger ale hit the spot delightfully.



Recipe:
2 cups coarsely chopped, fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
juice of 1 lime
4 cups water
1-1/2 cups sugar (start with less and adjust to your taste
2 liters chilled club soda
Ice cubes

Directions:
1. Place ginger, lime juice and 4 cups of water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Simmer at a low boil, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Add sugar, stirring constantly, and continue to boil until reduced to about 3 cups, about another 15 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let the mixture steep for 1 hour.
2. After 1 hour, strain the liquid through a fine wire strainer over a large bowl. Allow the syrup to cool completely. At this point you can prepare the ginger ale by mixing 1/4 cup syrup with 1 cup club soda and serve over ice with a wedge of lime. Alternately the ginger syrup may be stored in a tightly sealed container for up to 1 week.

Makes about 12 servings