I’m a do-it-yourself kind of girl. The last time my sink broke, I spent hours shuttling back and forth to the hardware store to find the right-sized pipe, and then another hour tweaking nuts and bolts until they were just right. WikiHow became my best friend. But the feeling of satisfaction I got from having a perfectly-working faucet, using only the power of my own two hands, was worth every second.
However, just because I’m not afraid of a little elbow grease doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the finer things in life. After completing any DIY project, whether that be sink repairs, repurposing old wood for a table, or turning veggie scraps into broth, I always find myself craving some kind of fancy refreshment.
My go-to drink is usually a ginger beer. The combination of spice and bubbles is guaranteed to give me the boost I need after an afternoon spent tinkering in the garage. But one evening, after sipping on a bottle after completing a particularly exhausting project, I spotted my recycling: it was full of the same bottles, ready and waiting to be picked up the next morning. Why don’t I make my own ginger beer? I thought to myself. It can’t be that hard!
Turns out, I was right. It’s not that hard, especially with the help of my favorite drinking vinegar, the Ginger and Hawaiian Chili Shrub. The DIY-enthusiast in me appreciates that the shrub is made in microbatches in Bellingham, WA, and my jam-packed day always improves with the health benefits of raw apple cider vinegar, such as increased immunity and digestive ease. That’s because this particular shrub contains a living culture, just like traditional ginger beer.
Though ginger has been renowned for its medicinal properties in ancient India and China for 5000 years, ginger beer itself dates back to way before the Dark and Stormy. Before mass-produced bottles of ginger beer and ginger ale hit supermarkets everywhere, the delicious beverage was fermented in 18th century England with ginger, water, and sugar.
That means that my shrub is basically as close as it gets to the OG ginger beer. And since no DIY queen worth her salt would leave one part of the process out, I decided to carbonate my own water using a SodaStream. A SodaStream is a great way to reduce waste while still enjoying a bubbly beverage.
My next victory drink came after successfully replacing a flat bike tire. After having gone over one too many potholes, patching up the battered tube, and re-inflating it, I was in serious need of rejuvenation. And that’s just what this drink provides. An adaptation of the traditional ginger beer, think Moscow Mule without any morning-after regrets. After all, just because there isn’t any vodka doesn’t mean there isn’t any spirit. Vivacious ginger, chili, and a generous helping of lime make this the perfect drink to kick back with while you admire a job well done.
Whether you’ve changed the oil in your car for the first time, repurposed leather into cool earrings, or just had a really good day at work, celebrate yourself with this healthy, zippy drink.