The short answer: this ginger tincture recipe needs 100 g of fresh ginger and 200 ml of vodka at 40% alcohol. Grate the ginger, cover it with the vodka in a jar, and keep it dark for 2 to 4 weeks. Strain it into a dropper bottle. A few drops give a cocktail, a cup of tea or a glass of lemonade a clean ginger bite.
A ginger tincture is ginger steeped in alcohol until the alcohol tastes hot and clearly of ginger. It is the bar version of ginger: you add it by the drop, so it changes the flavour of a drink without adding sugar or water. Two ingredients, 10 minutes of work, then the jar does the rest.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Work | 10 minutes |
| Waiting | 2 to 4 weeks, taste from week 1 |
| Ratio | 100 g fresh ginger to 200 ml vodka |
| Makes | About 180 ml |
| Keeps | A year or more, closed, cool and dark |
Ingredients
- 100 g fresh ginger, scrubbed, skin on
- 200 ml vodka, 40% alcohol (80 proof), or a stronger food-grade spirit
- A clean glass jar with a tight lid, about 300 ml
- A fine sieve, a coffee filter and a dark dropper bottle
Firm ginger matters. Pick a root that snaps cleanly and smells sharp when you cut it. Soft, wrinkled ginger gives a dull tincture.
The spirit: vodka tastes of almost nothing, so the ginger comes through clean. A stronger spirit pulls the flavour out faster and keeps longer. Never use a spirit below 35% alcohol.
How to make ginger tincture
- Grate. Grate the ginger on the coarse side of a box grater, or chop it fine. More cut surface means more flavour in less time.
- Cover. Put the ginger in the jar and pour in the vodka. Every piece must sit under the surface. Close the lid and shake.
- Wait. Keep the jar in a dark cupboard and shake it every few days.
- Taste. From week 1, put 3 drops in a glass of sparkling water. Ready means hot on the tongue and clearly ginger, not just alcohol.
- Strain. Usually at 2 to 4 weeks, pour it through a sieve, press the ginger hard, then filter it through a coffee filter.
- Bottle. Fill a dark dropper bottle and label it with the date.
Ginger tincture, extract, syrup or shot?
| Option | What it is | How you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Ginger tincture | Grated ginger in vodka, 2 to 4 weeks | By the drop, in drinks |
| Ginger extract | Ginger in high-proof alcohol, 4 to 6 weeks, can be concentrated | By the teaspoon, in baking and cooking |
| Ginger syrup | Ginger simmered in sugar syrup | By the tablespoon, sweetens as it flavours |
| Ginger shot | Raw ginger blended with juice | Drunk fresh, keeps a few days |
The tincture and the extract are close cousins. This page is the quick drinks version. Our ginger extract guide uses high-proof alcohol for a longer steep. For sweetness as well as heat, make ginger syrup. For a fresh, raw hit, see the ginger shot recipe.
How to use ginger tincture
- Moscow mule or dark and stormy: 3 to 5 drops on top, for more ginger than the ginger beer gives.
- Gin and tonic: 2 to 3 drops with a slice of lime.
- Hot toddy or tea: 5 drops in the cup, with honey and lemon.
- Lemonade and sparkling water: 5 to 10 drops per glass makes a dry ginger soda with no sugar.
- Baking: ½ teaspoon in gingerbread, biscuits or a fruit crumble, next to the ground ginger.
Start low. Add a drop, stir, taste, then decide on the next one.
Concentrate it in the Herb Lab
Made your tincture with 96% food-grade alcohol? Then you can turn part of it into a small, intense concentrate. The NOIDS Herb Lab has an Evaporation function that heats at the boiling point of alcohol, recovers the alcohol through the Condenser and stops by itself at 102 °C.
- Pour the strained tincture into the Glass. Stay under the MAX mark.
- Close the Glass with the Filter Set instead of the Dish Lid, with the short end of the Condenser on its Spout. Stand a second, empty Glass under the long end of the Condenser.
- Turn the Rotary Control to Evaporation. It evaporates about 50 ml per hour.
- Turn it to OFF when the volume is where you want it. Reduced by half, it is twice as concentrated.
- Let the Glass cool before you touch it, then bottle the concentrate.
Safety: use only food-grade, non-denatured alcohol. Run Evaporation in a room larger than 50 m³ with fresh air coming in, at least 5 m from any open flame. If you reduced it until little alcohol is left, keep it in the fridge and use it within 4 days, or freeze it.
How long ginger tincture keeps
- Closed, in a dark bottle in a cool cupboard: a year or more. The alcohol keeps it.
- The ginger heat fades slowly. Taste it before a party.
- A fine sediment is normal. Strain it again if you want it clear.
- Throw it away if it smells sour or musty.
For a full drinks shelf, start homemade extracts in other flavours the same afternoon.
Questions
How long does ginger tincture take?
2 to 4 weeks with fresh grated ginger. Taste it from week 1 and strain it as soon as it tastes hot and clearly of ginger.
What alcohol is best for ginger tincture?
Vodka at 40% for a clean taste. A stronger food-grade spirit works faster. Rum or bourbon work too, but their own flavour comes through.
Can I use dried ginger?
Yes. Use 50 g of dried ginger pieces for 200 ml of vodka. Ground ginger works but makes a cloudy tincture that needs a coffee filter.
Is ginger tincture the same as ginger extract?
Almost. Both are ginger in alcohol. A tincture is usually made by the drop for drinks; an extract is often stronger and used by the teaspoon in baking.
Can I make ginger tincture without alcohol?
Not one that keeps for months. Food-grade glycerin works, but the result is milder and keeps less long. For an alcohol-free ginger flavour, make ginger syrup instead.
