growing up, ginger ale was always such a foreign drink to me. i had actually never tasted it until just a few years ago. i drank every soda under the sun—dr. pepper, root beer, sprite, coke.. but ginger ale never made its way past my lips for some reason.
after i eventually tried it, i finally realized what i was missing! i am a big fan of ginger—in sushi and other asian cuisine, in smoothies, in juice, in cookies, and even some of those ginger candies. i like the bite ginger gives to anything you put it in. so, naturally, i became a fast fan of ginger ale.
i recently received some seagram’s ginger ale to try out, review, and give away here on the blog.
they’ve redeveloped their formula and the new version contains 25% fewer calories than before. i hadn’t tasted the previous formula, so i am not sure how it compares, but i found this ginger ale to be flavorful and refreshing—but maybe a tad sweet for me.
speaking of the sweetness…
when i was recruited for this campaign, i readily agreed because i love ginger ale. however, upon receiving the product, marshall noticed pointed out the fact that it contains HFCS. whomp, whomp. while i don’t think a little HFCS is going to kill me, i typically avoid purchasing products that contain it. i said “avoid”—not rule out completely. my kitchen definitely has a handful of HFCS-laden items and i still consume it if it happens to be in something. i used to refuse to eat anything with HFCS in there, but i have loosened up on the matter over the past couple of years. pick your battles, i suppose. BUT.. it also contains sucralose, which surprised me. why would a non-diet drink contain sucralose.. in addition to HFCS? kind of a bummer and i really don’t enjoy the aftertaste of sucralose.
honest opinion, folks! so instead of drinking the stuff straight up, i decided to get a little crafty with the ginger ale. i made a couple of things.
for my first recipe, i had to whip up a cocktail. it’s summer. it’s hot. a boozy, ice cold drink makes you not realize how hot you are.
raspberry peach ginger ale refresher
- 8 oz seagram’s ginger ale
- 4-5 fresh raspberries, muddled
- 1/4 of a peach, diced & muddled
- ice
- fresh ginger shavings (optional)
- 1 oz clear liquor such as vodka or rum (optional)
directions: place muddled fruit in a glass. in a separate container, shake together the ginger ale, ice, and liquor. pour into glass over fruit. garnish with fresh ginger, if desired. enjoy!
for my second recipe, i decided to try something i’ve always wanted to try—make a cake with a can of soda!
it’s so cool that you can leave out the oil and eggs and just use soda and the cake mix. i was skeptical, but it worked perfectly!
lemon cake with vanilla bean buttercream & fresh strawberries
long name. super simple recipe.
for the cake:
- 1 box lemon cake mix
- 1 (12 oz) can seagram’s ginger ale
directions: mix cake mix and ginger ale in a bowl (nothing else!) and bake according to box directions. let cool completely before frosting. i baked mine in one round layer using a dutch oven.
for the vanilla bean buttercream:
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 TB vanilla bean paste
- 1-2 TB liquid (milk or water), as needed
directions: using a stand or hand mixer, beat sugar and butter together until they are creamy. add vanilla and liquid and beat for another 30-60 seconds.
frost the cake (once it is completely cool) and top with fresh sliced strawberries.
enjoy!
both of these recipes were great! if you are looking for the perfect summery cocktail or dessert, i suggest you give these a shot.
as i mentioned, seagram’s has supplied ginger ale for a giveaway! one commenter will receive a shipment of ginger ale.
to enter:
- leave a comment telling me your favorite childhood beverage (bonus points if you tie a memory to the drink!)
for up to THREE extra entries:
- head to seagram’s facebook page and mention that meals & moves sent you. leave an additional comment below stating you did this.
- head to seagram’s website and check out the ginger ale serving ideas. leave an additional comment stating which one you’d like to try.
- leave a comment with your thoughts on ginger ale. love it? hate it? never tried it? (although, if you hate it, i really don’t think you would be entering…)
the giveaway will run until sunday, july 28th at 11:59 PM. USA only.
xo. janetha g.
Promotional consideration for this content was provided by The Coca-Cola Company. All opinions expressed in this content are my own and not those of The Coca-Cola Company.
Next Comments →
I love making cake with soda – so easy and good!
never tried the soda and cake mix. but i do happen to have 1 lemon cake in my pantry right now.
fav childhood beverage would be squeez-its. i really only got one on field trip sack lunch days. otherwise they were too expensive.
OH MY GOSH.. i loooved squeez-its!
i don’t drink alcohol so i’d just like to try the ginger ale.
visited their fb page.
I remember drinking tang on summer days with my best friend hiding under tents made from our comforters!! Those were the days!!
I love dark beer, so the shandy beverage from the Seagrams site would be well worth a try!!
I’m a big fan of ginger ale…it’s always my first choice on an airplane.
My favorite soda as a child was grape NEHI— reminds me of summers visiting my cousins in small town PA– we would walk to the corner mom n pop store and sit at the counter drinking NEHIs ….. Sooooooo much fun
I was never a really big soda fan but I did love orange juice growing up. I needed it right when I woke up or I would be in a cranky mood.
That drink looks so refreshing!! I love ginger beer but haven’t really had much ginger ale before.
I actually really like diet ginger ale. I think I drank about 10 of them before I gave birth to Kaylin in the hospital haha. Its such a comforting beverage. When I was a kid, I used to love orange juice. My Mom only bought the more natural varieties (we weren’t allowed to really have anything with added sugar).
My favorite childhood drink was a Shirley Temple! I remember going to see shows in Atlantic City with my family when I was younger and they would have a one drink minimum to sit at a table. My sister and I would think we were so special because we got to order a shirley temple. :) I always think about that now if I ever order one.
I’d most like to try a Cranberry Smash from Seagrams website.
I am a big fan of ginger ale and always have been. It’s something that I am used to drinking when my stomach is upset.
barbara loves strawberry boxed cakes and i saw this method a 2 years ago and have been making it like that ever since! i usually make it with diet soda, but i’ve never really noticed the flavor of the soda which i think is cool!
2 memories of ginger ale: Shirley Temple’s were my favorite drink growing up – made me feel like an adult ordering such a fancy drink. Not sure how i dealt with that level of sweetness, but it was so good. 2nd, whenever I had a stomach bug, I would get ginger ale that had the bubbles removed by stirring vigorously w/ a knife. I still do this one, only now instead of my mom doing it, I make them for myself (and my husband) :)
I love ginger ale! My husband does not like it at all because it reminds him of being sick, since his mom always gave it to him when he was not feeling well.
Mine was actually Canada Dry ginger ale. My grandma kept it stocked in the fridge in their garage, along with tons of Yoplait yogurts with the gold lid. It was a big treat to get one! I haven’t tried Seagrams before but would love to.
my favorite childhood drink is pink lemonade. and i’m talking the cheap powder pink lemonade. i LOVED it. it was my favorite summer time drink and i was so obsessed with it, i did the whole lemonade stand thing. ok. it was really at one of our garage sales and i set up an extra table selling it. and i think like one person bought it. but i still had fun. i loved working the garage sales with my mom!
the strawberry basil mojito sounds amazing!!
mojito – i don’t think it’s a gay drink ( i really hope you watch Family Guy)
but i love ginger ale! i always get it when i fly!
I was always drinking either milk or iced tea as a kid. My mom brewed sun tea pretty much every weekend during the summer, as we’d gulp it down throughout the week and the pitcher would be empty again. I’ve never been able to make tea that good since!
I like the Gin-ger-ale drink idea on the Seagram’s site. I recently discovered a love of gin and tonics, and I have a feeling this would come off similarly.
I love anything with ginger in it. So refreshing!
I don’t really remember liking ginger ale as a kid, but I do remember that Vernor’s was the ginger ale of choice for most people in Michigan, where I grew up. But it always seemed very harsh-tasting to me, so I preferred Canada Dry. I’m not sure I even knew Seagram’s existed (other than as alcohol) until I was an adult.
I’d say my favorite childhood beverage was more of a “snack/dessert”. I loved making root beer floats, but using coke and chocolate chip ice cream. My neighbor and I would sit in the garage on hot summer days after running around like crazy through the front yard sprinklers, devouring those floats.
I remember when I was younger, my mom drank Diet Coke in the morning in lieu of coffee. One summer day, I filled a coffee mug with ice and Diet Coke, then went around to my friends in the neighborhood telling them I was drinking iced coffee…I’m not sure that I fooled anyone, or what in the world I was trying to accomplish (seem older? cooler?) but that memory definitely stands out :)
I went to the Seagram’s website and even though it’s a drink that I regularly order (especially in colder weather), my favorite on the list is Jack & Ginger…ok, I’m more of a Jameson girl, but whiskey and ginger ale = always delicious.
For a long time, I was suffering from a combination of lactose intolerance and really bad nerves. This meant I had regular stomach aches, so my mom would constantly try and slip ginger into my diet. Ginger ale is often sweeter than I’d prefer (sometimes I just cut it with club soda), but it’s definitely something I’ve grown up drinking – and ginger in anything is typically fine by me :)
As a child, chocolate milk was a favorite special drink, only made with Hershey’s syrup just like my dad did.
always loved fresca as a kid. its the only soda we ever had in our house. oddly, I hated grapefruit at the time though…
and yes I do love ginger ale. I used to only get it on planes but it snuck its way into my heart and fridge in the last few years. so refreshing~!
Hawaiian Punch! My Aunt Marion always had ice cold cans of it in her fridge.
I love ginger ale! The unique taste and cool color have always attracted me. Seagram’s is a great brand of it–one of my favorites.
One of my favorite childhood drinks is grape soda. It is so fizzy ….and purple! I can’t remember the last time I had it, but it is pretty fun for a kid. :)
I would love to try the strawberry coolers. They look refreshing for an upcoming baby shower I am planning.
My favorite childhood drink is lemonade in the summer! My mom would always make it and serve it with a lemon garnish and a peppermint straw!
My favorite childhood drink was Vernors (a local ginger soda that is really intense! and so good) mixed with milk. My aunt used to make it for all the kids at holiday gatherings. Major memories there!
I followed Seagram’s on FB
I actually do love ginger ale, and use it often as a mixer for alcohol.
I liked the Seagram’s ginger ale FB page and told them you sent me.
Ooh, as for the serving suggestions, that Canadian Pride sounds pretty yummy! Grapefruit juice, maple syrup, and ginger ale? Yes please!
I like ginger ale! Especially when I have an upset stomach.
I used to loooove Fruitopias when I could get my hands on them. Usually, it was from the vending machine at my dance studio. Omg, just thinking about them is bringing back vivid memories.
I loved Shirley Temples when I was little (bet I still would…). My mom worked as a waitress and whenever we would go visit the bartender would give my brother and I Shirley Temples. I always got extra maraschino cherries on the drink stirrer!
I love ginger ale! It was always what my mom would give me when I was a kid if I had an upset stomach – I still drink it when I’m queasy and I swear it helps. I think my favorite beverage when I was a kid was Clearly Canadian. That stuff was so good. I wonder if they still make it…
I remember every time we went to subway as kids we would mix every type of soda offered and call it “suicide” – it was our favorite!!
For some reason I loved to drink yoohoo. I never really liked the taste, just loved the bottle. I remember drinking it in the back seat on vacations. It was one of my fave treats!
I like ginger ale!
childhood drink: capri suns!
Comments on this entry are closed.