Beer

• 5 cups boiling water, cooled slightly
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 50ml fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbs ground ginger
• 1 tsp dried yeast
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• Fresh mint leaves, to serve

Combine the water, sugar, lemon juice, ginger and yeast in a large bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature overnight to infuse. Skim off and discard the scum that has risen to the surface of the yeast mixture. Pour the mixture into a 8-cup capacity airtight plastic bottle but don't fill the bottle to the top. Place in the fridge to chill.
Divide the lemon slices and mint leaves among serving glasses, top with ginger beer and serve.

• 2 ounces fresh ginger
• 2 lemons
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 pound sugar
• 1 gallon boiling water
• 1 ounce yeast

What you will need:
You will need eight pint bottles or four quart bottles. They should be of a strong material and have firm caps with metal springs to imprison the effervescent liquid -- it's more explosive than champagne. Makes 1 gallon.
Roughly crush the ginger root. Wash and slice the lemons into thick rings. Put the ginger, lemon, cream of tartar and sugar in a large bowl. Pour the boiling water over. Stir and leave to cool to blood temperature. Stir in the yeast. Leave to ferment for 24 hours. Skim off the yeast. Strain and bottle the liquid. Leave for three days before broaching (to pierce in order to draw off liquid) the beer.