Ginger Syrup & Leftover Cracker
Ginger syrup is one of the most important cocktail ingredients around and continues to be used widely use around bars and restaurants.
No matter which venue you’re at, ginger root is likely to be present in a dish or drink.
Every cocktail bar needs to have some ginger syrup on hand in order to make classic cocktails like the Penicillin, El Diablo, and any variation of a Mule cocktail.
I like my ginger syrup to be as spicy as possible and to do that I use the entire root including the skin. After all, the skin is where all the best nutrients and flavors come from!
Using the ginger skin in cocktails may make murkier brown colors, but it hardly overshadows the color of a cocktail. 20ml or less will be enough to add flavor to any drink.
Rather than boiling or simmering ginger root to make a syrup, I find that ginger syrup tastes best when the root is juiced whole, which means that you’ll have lots of leftover pulp to deal with.
In this 2 in 1 recipe post, I’ll show you how you can reuse the leftover pulp to make a savory cracker for aperitifs, snacks, or even better…a toasted garnish!
Part I:
Make Ginger Syrup
Ginger syrup is super easy to make.
If you already know how to make it, and you’re interested in making the pulp crackers, skip to Part 2.
To make Ginger Syrup, you will simply need:
- Ginger
- Juicer (or blender)
- Sugar
If you have a juicer, use it to extract all of the fresh juice out.
Measure it out and place an equal measurement of sugar in it. Doing so will give you a simple syrup ratio (1:1), but you can also opt to add more sugar like in a 2:1 ratio to make a rich syrup.
Give everything a stir every once in a while to help the sugar dissolve.
Don’t heat it over the stove, as that will change the freshness and spicy notes of your syrup.
If you do not have a juicer, you can blend your ginger with a bit of water to extract all of its juices.
Once you’ve made your syrup, you’ll notice quite a large amount of leftover pulp.
Part II:
Make Cracker Garnish
(using Leftover pulp)
Ginger pulp can be used for loads of things but bartenders usually through it out.
Ginger pulp packs a punch even more than the juice itself and has lots of its spiciness coming from the fiber.
For bartenders, the best thing to do with leftover pulp is to transform it into something consumable…something that can be eaten so that there is no leftover food waste.
One of the tastiest and coolest recipes I’ve come across is making a ginger cracker garnish that can be toasted in front of a guest using a blowtorch.
Browing it not only creates the chemical reaction known as the ‘Malliard Effect’ (making foods taste better), but it will also give off some aroma for the guest’s drink, giving it a great presentation and aroma.
Ingredients:
To make a ginger cracker, all you’ll need is:
- Leftover ginger pulp
- Flour
- Water
- Salt
- Additional flavorings (I’m using poppy seeds, but sesame seeds also work well).
First, you must measure out how much ginger pulp you have leftover from juicing.
Once measured, stick to a 2:1 ratio of Ginger Pulp to Flour.
So if you have 40g of ginger pulp (like me), measure out 20g of flour.
Mix the ginger and flour together and add a little bit of water in addition. The amount of water you add will depend on the dryness of the pulp.
You might need to do it by eye just to achieve the right consistency. Start small and work your way up.
I’m adding 30ml (1 ounce) per 60 grams of flour and pulp. Mix everything together using a
blender until it turns into a paste.
Add a pinch of salt to your liking!
Once your paste is ready, spread it out on a baking tray or dehydrator tray.
Add another sprinkle of salt and any kind of spice you want on it.
I’ve added poppy seeds on mine, but you can also do black sesame, chili flakes, sunflower seeds, cayenne pepper, etc.
Before dehydrating it, make sure to cut the flat paste out into easy to snack shapes.
For these crackers, I love making circular shapes using my jigger as a ‘cookie cutter’.
Leave it to dehydrate at around 140 -150 C for 3 – 4 hours. Make sure to keep an eye on it.
Before it dehydrates too much, separate the circular shapes from the rest of the cracker, otherwise they will be difficult to separate once fully dehydrated.
Once separated, you can dehydrate your circular crackers for even longer to achieve the crunchiness that you desire.
And there you have it! Naturally spicy and savory ginger crackers to use for garnishing or as food pairing for your drinks.
Now you have a ginger syrup using the liquid part of the root, and a ginger cracker using the leftover solid part.
Another wasted ingredient saved!
Conclusion:
How To Use
These crackers can be used for anything, and my favorite use for them is as a toasted garnish on a cocktail glass.
Once pegged to a cocktail, use a blowtorch to toast the cracker upon being served.
The aroma of the ginger will release into the air and intensify in flavor.
Not only is the presentation excellent with a multi-sensorial effect, but who doesn’t loves a free snack with a drink!?
Featured Cocktail:
Penicillin
One of my favorite drinks uses a savory ginger cracker instead of sweet candied ginger.
I find that this garnish works better than a regular candy garnish giving it some salty and savory notes that are missing from this classic!
It also gives off a lovely aroma when lit with a torch, giving your drink a multi-sensorial experience.
- 50ml Blended Scotch
- 22ml Lemon Juice
- 12ml Ginger Syrup
- 7.5ml Honey Syrup
Shake & Strain
- 10ml Float of Islay Scotch
- Garnish with Torched Ginger Pulp Cracker
