There’s a unique new craft beverage on tap at North Fork Brewing Co. in Riverhead.
The downtown brewery recently re-released their homemade, non-alcoholic ginger ale.
Co-owner Ian Van Bourgondien developed the recipe, which is an adaptation of a ginger ale he brewed with his father while they were still home brewing. “It sounded like something that would be really good, so we decided to give it a whirl,” Van Bourgondien said Friday.
Just like their beer, the soda is produced from farm to pint using ginger root sourced from Schmitt’s Farm on Sound Avenue in Riverhead and lemons from Van Bourgondien’s family greenhouses in Peconic.
Hops grown at the Peconic property are also added to the soda as a finishing touch, adding both aroma and a subtle bitter note to balance the beverage. “It adds a fruity character,” Van Bourgondien said. “Our farm nugget has a lot of nice aromatics to it.”
The ginger ale isn’t their first foray into soda: they once made their own root beer that sold out quickly in their tasting room.
It’s currently on tap and a favorite of designated drivers and kids alike. “It’s nice to have something else for them that’s fun,” Van Bourgondien said.
And we knew you’d ask, so yes — you can also enjoy it spiked.
The brewers collaborated with The Better Man Distilling Company in Patchogue on Gin-Ging, a blended cocktail that combines Better Man’s Moonstruck Gin infused with yuzu and North Fork Brewing Co.’s ginger ale.
“It’s a cool collaboration,” Van Bourgondien said. “It’s a whole new category that’s very refreshing.”
The carbonated cocktail is also available on tap in both the brewery tasting room and at the distillery in Patchogue.
