**History**:
– Thomas Joseph Cantrell manufactured the first ginger ale in Belfast, Ireland in the 1850s.
– Dry ginger ale was created by Canadian John J. McLaughlin in 1904, with Canada Dry Ginger Ale being patented in 1907.
**Ingredients**:
– Traditional ginger ale is fermented from yeast or ginger bug, sugar, fresh ginger root, and water.
– Commercial ginger ale commonly contains carbonated water, sugar, and artificial or natural ginger flavor, with additional ingredients like lemon, lime, cane sugar, pineapple, and honey occasionally used.
**Processing**:
– Traditional ginger ale is fermented using ginger, yeast, sugar, and other flavorings, while commercial ginger ale is carbonated by chilling water to dissolve carbon dioxide.
**Uses**:
– Ginger ale is popular as a soft drink and a mixer in cocktails and punch, and it can be used as a non-alcoholic substitute for champagne or beer.
– It is also used as a home remedy for indigestion or motion sickness.
**Variations**:
– Ginger beer originated in England in the 1800s, while ginger ale was founded in Ireland.
– Ginger beer is brewed with natural ginger and fermented with Lactobacillus, giving it a cloudier appearance and spicier flavor, while ginger ale is transparent.
– Dry ginger ale is sold with mint flavoring added, and some brands offer variations like ginger ale mixed with green tea or lemonade.
**Nutritional Information**:
– Ginger ale is typically low in calories and contains gingerol, a bioactive compound with health benefits.
– It may help with digestion and nausea, but some commercial brands have high sugar content and carbonation that can lead to bloating.
Ginger ale is a carbonated soft drink flavoured with ginger. It is consumed on its own or used as a mixer, often with spirit-based drinks. There are two main types of ginger ale. The golden style is credited to the Irish doctor Thomas Joseph Cantrell. The dry style (also called the pale style), a paler drink with a much milder ginger flavour, was created by Canadian John McLaughlin.
 Vernors golden ginger ale | |
| Type | Non-alcoholic mixed drink |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom and Canada |
| Region of origin | Northern Ireland and Southern Ontario, Canada |
| Introduced | 1851 (Golden) and 1904 (Dry) |
| Proof (US) | 0 |
| Colour | Golden |
| Flavour | Ginger |
| Variants | Golden ginger ale and dry ginger ale |