Vernors recipe??

[netsecgeek]

Thanks for the recipe. I'll give it a shot hopefully this weekend. Do you think the lemon oil is necessary?

 

[Becca58]

Thanks for the recipe. I'll give it a shot hopefully this weekend. Do you think the lemon oil is necessary?

Y'know, I'm not entirely sure. Several of my ingredients come from researching old Dublin recipes for ginger ale, along with tasting Vernor's and just working things out that way. The old Dublin recipes tend to call for both lemon juice and lemon oil. Frankly, I think this recipe has too much lemon in it; I'm thinking cut it by 1/3 to 1/2. As for the oil... hmmm. I'm not convinced, but I've bought it so I'm going to use it for a few more batches until I am certain.

 

[Becca58]

Some may ask: why the old Dublin recipes? Because that is what Dr. Vernor based his recipe on. It took me about three weeks digging through the intertubes to glean what I could. But this recipe as I've posted it is as close to that as I've been able to get - so far. I'm going to keep tweaking it, but it's awfully good now.

 

[netsecgeek]

I didn't make it to the LHBS this weekend to get the oak. When I do though, I'm thinking of making a tincture and then blending in the oak flavor instead of directly oaking the syrup.

 

[Becca58]

I am not a brewer by any stretch of the imagination nor do I play one on television, so I'm not familiar with this. I don't think that having charred oak in the syrup (or the syrup in charred oak barrels) is the same thing as adding oak flavor to the syrup. Am I mistaken?

In any event, I'm trying to recreate the original Vernor's recipe or get close, and not using modern manufacturing shortcuts. That's just my take on it.

 

[Becca58]

For the oak I'm using, I just went to the big-box lumber store and bought a 4-foot piece of red oak that is about 2 inches by 1/4 inch. Cut to length, char it in a fire, add it to the syrup container.

 

[Becca58]

Thanks for the recipe. I'll give it a shot hopefully this weekend. Do you think the lemon oil is necessary?

I've been thinking since you asked this question, and doing sniff tests of the syrup as it matures. There is definitely too much lemon in the recipe.

So I have modified the post with my recipe, removing the lemon oil and reducing the lemon juice by 1/3. I may reduce it further, but I'll wait until I make another batch before I adjust it again.

 

[netsecgeek]

I've been thinking since you asked this question, and doing sniff tests of the syrup as it matures. There is definitely too much lemon in the recipe.

So I have modified the post with my recipe, removing the lemon oil and reducing the lemon juice by 1/3. I may reduce it further, but I'll wait until I make another batch before I adjust it again.

Ran across this article on citrus and thought you may find the bit about lemon juice and aging interesting.

I wonder if just some zest would do the trick if it's still too lemony.

 

[Becca58]

Ran across this article on citrus and thought you may find the bit about lemon juice and aging interesting.

I wonder if just some zest would do the trick if it's still too lemony.

Nice article; thanks! I'm going to have to digest and ponder it....

 

[cramby]

Here it is:

Ginger Ale
September 11, 2013 at 2:49am

Rebecca Putman
An attempt to re-create Vernor's


Ingredients:

2 C sugar
6 oz grated ginger
1 C water
1 tsp whole peppercorns
1 tsp whole allspice
4 Tbs real maple syrup
2 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbs honey
3 Tbs vanilla extract
2 pieces charred oak, to fit the aging container

Directions:

Heat the sugar, ginger, water, peppercorns, allspice, maple syrup, and lemon juice over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat then cover and let steep for one hour.

Strain the extract through a strainer with some cheesecloth into the aging container. Discard the solids in the strainer. Add the honey, and vanilla and stir to combine. Place charred oak into the bowl and cover. Let stand for at least one week; the longer you age, the smoother and more mellow it gets. (Alternative: get a real, small oak barrel that's been charred inside and use that for aging/storage.)

Place 2-3 tablespoons of the syrup into a glass and add one cup of seltzer. Top with ice and enjoy. Store the unused syrup in the aging barrel. Don't refrigerate it as that will slow the aging process. The syrup won't ferment because there will be too strong a concentration of sugars.

Just looking at the label, there has to be some salt in it, most other steeped pops have salt like root beer. I think it makes flavors "pop".

 

[uttermad]

I've read all the posts and none come close to what I remember of Vernors. It was so potent that your eyes would water while you drank it. We always had it when we were sick because it even burned the back of your throat just a little. I've been experimenting with various recipes. Even a cup of sugar for a 2 quart batch is too sweet for me. I'm adding about an 1/8 of a teaspoon of champagne yeast, so I'm actually brewing it. It's also too lemony.

I recently added about a three-inch knob of ginger, chopped with skin on, to a batch of kombucha and let it ferment for about three days. I removed the ginger and let it ferment for another two days. I also prepared a separate jar with another two-inch knob of ginger and let it ferment.

The first one is the closest I've come to Vernors. The second one with the additional ginger seemed a little bitter. I'm going to keep trying. May add a bit of lemon, but I'm sticking with the kombucha base for now.