Because of the name, West African Ginger Beer, you would likely expect that it is an alcoholic beverage, but it’s Definitely not.
(Photo Attributed to Author: Hisakazu Watanabe)
More commonly known in West Africa as Ginger Juice or Ginger Drink, this totally non-alcoholic drink has beneficial factors that promote good health. And for people who are into Juicing Diets, this is one that you can easily try at home.
Alcoholic drinks, of course, make us feel good (for a while) but they are not all that healthy for us, if taken to excess. But West African Ginger Beer not only tastes great, and will give you a refreshing “lift” – it is also very good for your health.
West African Ginger Beer has been proven to reduce pain and inflammation, alleviate heartburn, as well as being a good preventative of, and treatment for, the common cold. Other studies have shown that it can reduce hair loss … and there is much more.
Widely consumed in West Africa, this ginger beer is also popular in Asia. You make it with fresh ginger root and pineapple.
Ready for some? Good. Here is the recipe for how to make West African Ginger Beer. My bet is you will absolutely love it, and feel better after drinking it.
West African Ginger Beer Recipe-
Ingredients:
- 4 cups of fresh clean water
- 4 oz. fresh ginger root, peeled, washed and rough chopped
- 12 oz. fresh pineapple, peeled, washed and rough chopped
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup of sugar (or to taste)
Directions:
- Add the lemon juice, pineapple and ginger into a food processor. Then add the water and process well until the mixture is homogenous. You can also, if you want to have an authentic, African, ethnic experience, use a mortar and pestle to grind the ginger and pineapple and mix thoroughly with the water.
- Now strain the process mixture through a sieve into a bowl to remove and discard the solids.
- Add and stir the sugar into the liquid as per your tastes. I like my West African ginger beer just slightly sweet – but it is totally up to you.
- Place the sweetened liquid in a sealed container and store it in the refrigerator until nice and cold.
- Serve your West African Ginger Beer with any African meal. In fact, it tastes great with any meal from any culture, trust me!
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With ginger, pineapple, lime and sugar, hey – how can this NOT be delicious?
LOL – but good for you too, although I might be inclined to substitute some organic honey for the sugar … what do you think, Old Silly?
Margo, I think using honey instead of sugar is an excellent idea! I would suggest that you ladle out a little of the fruit juices and add the honey to it, then whip it together vigorously (or maybe blend it in an electric blender) before adding and stirring it into the rest of the juices. This would help the honey be dissolved and saturated throughout the whole ginger beer, since it does not dissolve as easily as sugar.
Yummy! Definitely worth trying, neither my husband or I are very big alcohol drinkers, and so this sounds like a healthy “beer” alternative, right?
West African Ginger Beer is DEFINITELY a healthy “beer” alternative, Barb!
Sounds good enough to me to try. I like health drinks anyway, and this one seems easy enough to whip up. Thanks!
Mark, it is easy to make, and you are welcome.