Homemade ginger ale and candied ginger

Upset stomach? Sweet tooth? Ginger fanatic? If you have or are any of those, then the following recipe is right for you!

Homemade ginger ale:

2 cups sucanat plus 1/4-1/2 cup reserved (I used my remaining white sugar, but using sucanat is better)

2 cups water

1 large piece of ginger (mine weighed about 6 oz before peeling) peeled and thinly sliced

Soda water or sparkling water

Combine sucanat and water in a saucepan over medium heat until sucanat has dissolved. Add sliced ginger and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn temperature down to medium low and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how gingery you would like your syrup. Once the consistency of the syrup has become thick and the ginger slices are tender, take the syrup off the heat and strain into a bowl to cool. 

The now-cooked ginger slices can be tossed in the remaining 1/4-1/2 cup of sucanat and then set aside to dry. Once dry, you have a tasty candied ginger treat to enjoy!

Once syrup has cooled, you may add 1-2 Tbsp to a glass and top with club soda or sparkling water. Stir and enjoy!