DIY Ginger Liqueur Recipe (2024)

Recipes By Course
Drinks
co*cktails

This homemade ginger liqueur can compete with Domaine de Canton on flavor—for less than half the cost and only 20 minutes of work.

Marcia Simmons

Contributor

Marcia Simmons is the author of DIY co*cktails: A Simple Guide to Creating Your Own Signature Drinks (2010).

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Updated December 02, 2022

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Why It Works

This homemade ginger liqueur can compete with Domaine de Canton on flavor—for less than half the cost and only 20 minutes of work.
Steeping time is very short, so this is a perfect DIY holiday gift.
Unleash your creativity by experimenting with different flavor combinations in small batches to make something you won't find on a liquor store shelf.

Ginger liqueur offers an exciting blend of sweet and spicy flavors. It can turn a basic drink into an intricately layered co*cktail experience. Sure, you can use ginger liqueur all year (it's great with sparkling wine, especially when muddled with peaches in the summer) but this potion especially calls to us in winter, when it's just the thing to spice up our drinks.

What's Available to Buy?

Domaine de Cantonis the most common ginger liqueur on the market. The ginger kick in Canton is balanced with vanilla, honey, and Cognac—it's elegant, but a bit sweet.Snapis a bolder ginger liqueur featuring nutmeg, cinnamon, and Rooibos tea in its mix of spices. It reminds me of a hearty gingerbread. Both cost about $30 a bottle—though I think Domaine de Canton is a more flexible co*cktail ingredient. TheKing's Gingeris a slightly more expensive high-proof ginger liqueur with an intense bite—smooth but barely sweet.

Stirrings also offers a less complex ginger liqueur for half the price. Though it has a lovely flavor, I find that it doesn't add any more dimension to mixed drinks than a well-made ginger simple syrup would.

Why DIY?

As easy as it is to buy a bottle of Canton, my recipe for DIY ginger liqueur takes only 30 minutes of work and tastes just as delicious and refined. The steeping time is very short, so this is a perfect homemade holiday gift. (Hear that, procrastinators?)

It's also fun to play with different flavor combinations in small batches. Add some cinnamon, star anise, and cardamom for an earthier liqueur that's a good match for ciders and warm holiday drinks. A little lemon zest and lemongrass will give you a bright, Asian-inspired flavor. The beauty of homemade liqueur is unleashing your creativity to make something you won't see on the shelf at some liquor store.

Use It!

Your homemade liqueur is perfect for jazzing up all sorts of co*cktails. The simpleTom Collinssuddenly tastes exotic with a bit of ginger, but you can also get more complicated than that. Add a little to a hot toddy on a cold night. And yes, it's goodin eggnog, or shaken up withrosemary and pears.

Ginger pairs well with so many flavors—think about food recipes that you like that include ginger, and then use those flavors in a co*cktail. Carrots, oranges, lemons, apples, pumpkin, green tea—these things are natural partners for ginger and could be the basis for a great new drink. If you give your liqueur as a gift, you can include some handwritten recipe cards featuring your favorite ginger liqueur co*cktails. That is, if you can bear to part with some of it.

December 2011

Recipe Details

DIY Ginger Liqueur Recipe

Prep5 mins

Ingredients

2 ounces ginger root
1 vanilla bean
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 orange
1 1/2 cups brandy

Directions

Peel ginger and cut it into thin slices. Split vanilla bean in half lengthwise.
Bring ginger, vanilla, sugar, and water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until ginger is soft—about 20 minutes. Let the syrup cool. Do not strain yet.
Zest orange and place zest only in a sealable glass container along with the syrup and brandy. Seal and shake, then let this mixture steep for one day.
After one day, remove vanilla bean and let mixture steep for an additional day.
Strain mixture through a coffee filter into your bottle or jar for storage. Let it sit for one more day before using to let flavors mellow.

Notes

Peeling ginger with a spoon allows you to navigate the curves and bumps more easily than using a peeler.

Store as you would any liqueur—no refrigeration is required. This should keep for a year, but if it develops off flavors or a cloudy appearance, discard it.

Special Equipment

Zester

Tres Coop
Grapefruit and Ginger Sparkler

Ginger

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
87	Calories
0g	Fat
13g	Carbs
0g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories	87
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g	0%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 1mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate 13g	5%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 1mg	3%
Calcium 1mg	0%
Iron 0mg	0%
Potassium 3mg	0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

FAQs

Are stem ginger and crystallized ginger the same? ›

Stem ginger, also known as candied ginger or crystallised ginger, refers to the young roots of the ginger plant that have been peeled, sliced, or chopped and then preserved in sugar syrup.

What is ginger liqueur made of? ›

It is very easy to make and requires very few ingredients: ginger root obviously, alcohol, water and sugar. Like with any good liquor, a lengthy maceration and resting time is necessary, so that all the flavors are absorbed and for it to become nice and golden in color.

Does ginger ferment into alcohol? ›

Brewers would boil ginger, add sugar to the liquid, and then allow the resulting liquid to ferment, resulting in a beverage (ginger beer) with about an 11 percent alcohol content. That's high! Today's ginger beer is rarely fermented, however, so you'll note on the label that it is completely alcohol free.

Get More Info Here ›

What alcohol is distilled from ginger? ›

Ratzeputz (German: [ˈʁat͡səˈpʊt͡s]) is a schnaps, a type of spirit popular in Germany, which contains extracts and distillates of root ginger. The fresh ginger it contains is said to be beneficial to the stomach. Ratzeputz today (2006) only contains 58% alcohol; whereas higher proportions of alcohol used to be common.

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What is ginger liqueur called? ›

The World's Original Ginger Liqueur

Each batch of Domaine de Canton is the marriage of the finest ingredients carefully selected from different ends of the world to create a perfectly balanced flavor. learn more. "A sublime liqueur...

Get More Info Here ›

Does ginger liqueur need to be refrigerated? ›

Peeling ginger with a spoon allows you to navigate the curves and bumps more easily than using a peeler. Store as you would any liqueur—no refrigeration is required. This should keep for a year, but if it develops off flavors or a cloudy appearance, discard it.

Get More Info ›

What liquor tastes like ginger? ›

While Domaine De Canton prides itself on being the original and is the most widely known ginger liqueur, it isn't the only on worth trying.

What is another name for stem ginger? ›

Candied or crystallized ginger, known in the UK as "stem ginger", is the root cooked in sugar until soft, and is a type of confectionery.

Explore More ›

Can you eat Crystallised stem ginger? ›

How Can You Use Crystallized Ginger? Crystallized ginger has a bold, invigorating flavor which can be used as an ingredient in a variety of sweet and spicy food products, or eaten as a snack by itself. It pairs well with many flavors, including citrus, turmeric, garlic, nuts, berries, and chocolate.

Find Out More ›

What is a substitute for stem ginger? ›

You may find that crystallized ginger is a more ready substitute for stem ginger.

Discover More ›

What is stem ginger called in America? ›

(I'm from the UK) for those who don't know what it is, it's chuncks of ginger stems boiled in syrup to preserve them. However the AI went on to say it was only commonly known by that name in the UK with it being known more as "crystallized ginger" or "candied ginger." In the States.

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