Every so often I see bottled simple syrup at the liquor store and roll my eyes. Making simple syrup is just so…simple. There’s no sense in buying it bottled, unless maybe you’re going camping or plan on mixing drinks in an area without clean water or a dearth of sugar. All you have to do is dissolve sugar into an equal amount of hot water. It’s that easy.
Flavored simple syrups are just as simple to make. A few summers ago, I was on a roll with herbal simple syrups – just pop in a sprig of basil or mint or thyme and steep it in the hot sugar water, and you’ve got something tasty and a little different to add to your cocktails.
Fresh ginger is another one of my favorite flavors. Slicing some up and adding it to the pot results in a fresh, spicy syrup you can add to cocktails, or just mix into seltzer for some tasty homemade ginger ale. You could even drizzle it on ice cream (green tea or vanilla would be great flavors to try this with). 
homemade ginger syrup
4 inches fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced into coins
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
Combine ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, simmer about 10 minutes until sugar is dissolved and your kitchen smells gingery. Let cool, strain out ginger pieces and refrigerate.
stirred 
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