by Ted Onulak

Created on: October 21, 2008   Last Updated: September 06, 2009

I guess you could say this recipe has an odd genesis, which goes to show how creativity can be inspired from unlikely sources.

Returning from a great music festival in Bermuda, I began to miss the ginger beer. Ginger Beer is a soft drink like our Ginger Ale in the States, but with 10 times the fresh ginger zing. It can be served on ice or with an additional shot of Black Rum to make a Dark n Stormy.

I hit upon the idea to make my own ginger syrup to make my faux Ginger Beer but thought about adding jalapeno for a Sweet n Spicy Ginger sauce.

Sweet N Spicy Ginger Sauce

Ingredients: 1 cup sugar, 2 cups water, 1 1-2 inch piece of fresh ginger, 1 large Jalapeno chili, a tablespoon Grenadine syrup for color.

Preparation: Thinly slice the ginger root and cut the jalapeno in half and rinse out the seeds. On the stovetop, set 1 cup of sugar in 2 cups of water to boil. Make a simple sugar syrup by reducing the liquid until thickened to the desired consistency. Turn down the heat and add the ginger and jalepeno. Let steep for about 20 minutes and taste. You should be able to taste the ginger and the heat of the chili. Leave to steep more if desired, but 20 minutes should be enough. Strain the mixture and add the Grenadine syrup to give it a nice pinkish hue.

Try this sauce on a hearty salad of spinach, Brie cheese, and bacon. Use as a glaze for baked Salmon, roast duck or other poultry. Your guests will never taste anything like it.

If there are any leftovers, just add Black Rum, club soda and ice to send your taste buds into orbit.

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