Vernors Ginger Ale is a Michigan icon ... sweet, gingery, fizzy. It's a golden ginger ale as opposed to a "dry" one and makes the claim of being the oldest surviving ginger ale in the country. Slogans have included "Detroit's Drink", "Deliciously Different" "Barrel Aged, Bold Taste, and "It's what we drink around here". I'm not sure if it's readily available all over the country, but if it is, try it. Served cold, it's refreshing, served hot, it's good for what ails you. Make a shake or float with it ... but if you can't find it, here's a recipe for the ginger syrup and the shake or float. Oh, by the way, "Woody" is the gnome that appears on the can or bottle.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced peeled, fresh ginger
  • 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 6 large scoops great quality vanilla ice cream
  • 1/2 cup of the ginger syrup
  • 3 cups sparkling seltzer water

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients except the vanilla in a saucepan. bring to a boil and then simmer for about 15 minutes until reduced to one cup liquid.
  2. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla and cool and strain.
  3. For a shake: place the ice cream, syrup and seltzer in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into 2 tall glasses and grab some straws.
  4. For a float: place three scoops of the ice cream in each of the 2 tall glasses. Mix the syrup with the seltzer and then pour half over each ice cream filled glass. This time grab the straws and a long spoon!