My dear hubby just made a batch of delicious home-brewed ginger ale. It’s the best I’ve ever had and beats all the commercial ginger ales hands-down. It’s really easy to make. Just chop up lots of fresh ginger root, bring it to the boil with some water, and simmer for a while. Let it cool sufficiently before straining. Add a sweetener like honey or sugar to the strained ginger juice to make a concentrated ginger cordial. Keep the cordial in the fridge until required.

You can dilute the ginger cordial with either cold or hot water to make a refreshing drink. To make fizzy ginger ale, dilute the ginger cordial with chilled club soda or soda water. Finish the drink soon after adding the soda, or the ale will go flat.

The fizzy ginger ale came in really handy during the recent festive season when I was feeling nauseous and bloated. At one stage, I even felt like throwing up.  Just a few sips, and I felt much better. I could eat dinner shortly after. It struck me then that people experiencing nausea from chemotherapy for cancer might find relief in ginger ale. After all, studies have shown that ginger alleviates nausea, and is particularly helpful for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Ginger ale goes a step further in quickly relieving discomfort in the tummy.

Home-made ginger ale is best, but if you can’t make it yourself for some reason, make sure the ginger ale you buy contains the best ingredients possible, including real ginger. It makes a difference. When undergoing chemotherapy, always keep real ginger cordial and club soda or soda water handy in the fridge. It could save you some suffering.