Jackpot convinced Sista Evangeline to come up off the recipe for the Root Temple staple “Hardstyle Ginger Beer.” Here it is!
(Spicy, earthy, ice-cold, and guaranteed to elevate your mood.)
Ingredients:
- 1½ cups fresh ginger, peeled & grated
- 1 tsp fresh turmeric (or ½ tsp ground)
- 4 cups boiling water
- ½ cup fresh lime juice
- ½ cup honey or brown sugar (go rich & deep)
- 1 cinnamon stick (optional, but smooths the heat)
- 4–5 whole cloves
- Pinch of black pepper (optional, helps turmeric do its magic)
- Sparkling water or club soda (to finish, for fizz)
- Dark rum (optional) — add to taste
Instructions:
Step 01: Grate ginger & turmeric together into a large bowl or pitcher.
Step 02: Pour boiling water over the mixture.
Step 03: Add cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper (if using).
Step 04: Steep for at least 1 hour (up to 24 hrs for maximum burn).
Step 05: Strain through fine sieve or cheesecloth, squeezing well.
Step 06: Stir in lime juice & honey (or brown sugar) until dissolved.
Step 07: Chill thoroughly in the fridge.
Step 08: To serve: mix 2 parts ginger base with 1 part sparkling water. Adjust to taste.
Step 09: Pour over ice & enjoy.
Step 10: Optional: add a shot of dark rum.
🔥 Sharp ginger heat. Earthy turmeric depth. Lime brightness. Sweetness that carries it, not hides it.
🚀 A real Root Temple drink—clean, bold, and nothing like that weak bottled stuff.
Backstory:
At the Root Temple, the drink of choice was always Sista Evangeline’s fiery ginger beer — golden, sharp, and alive with turmeric bite. The youth would clutch their cups ice-cold and pure, no rum needed, their laughter cutting through the drumming or the bassline. For them it was ritual enough: a drink that lit the throat and cleared the head, something you could sip slow while reasoning under the Congo Square tree or while watching the dance start to swell.
The elders, though, preferred it the hard way — ginger burn chased with a shot of dark rum, a fire inside the fire. They said it brought the body and spirit closer, made the chants deeper, the skank heavier. Whether it was a dancehall night where the walls shook, or a Nyahbinghi session where the ground itself felt like it was rising, Sista Evangeline’s brew flowed. From her Bittas Shop came the one drink that united all—elders and youth, dancers and chanters, the whole temple bound together in that same heat, passing cups hand to hand.