This new ginger beer will make you healthier

Filipinos are all too familiar with salabat, or ginger tea, the traditional herbal remedy for when you're feeling a bit under the weather.

But there is a new way of concocting a beverage using ginger that makes drinking it fun.

Ginger beer is one of the few beers out there that's good for the body and even for children.

It is a healthy alternative when you're not up for the challenge of drinking tea (or alcohol, because it's a non-alcoholic beverage).

James Llamera, who makes the TGBG ginger beer and sells it by the bottle, showed how it's made in an episode of Pinas Saya.

1. Don't peel the ginger, just place it in the juicer.

Surprisingly, the entire chunk of ginger is thrown in the juicer. Llamera said that the flavor and nutrients lie in the skin, so he doesn't peel it off.

He makes sure the native luya is clean and using a juicer, extracts the juice from it (bits of skin included and all).

The ginger juice is then transferred to a flask.

2. Squeeze lemons.

For this recipe, you'd need to extract juice from lemons.

More lemon juice is needed than ginger juice to balance the drink's acidity.

3. Mix in the brown sugar syrup.

An even bigger amount of brown sugar syrup will be added to the mix to balance the taste.

To make the brown sugar syrup, you can simply mix water and brown sugar, then mix it with the ginger and lemon juice.

If you don't have a carbonator, you'd have to stop at that step, but Llamera said that you can actually drink it that way already.

4. Carbonate it!

Now for the step that turns it from tasty, healthy juice to tasty, healthy beer: forced carbonation.

Llamera said that it's carbon dioxide that turns it into beer, so carbon dioxide is infused into the drink using a carbonator.

The beer is then bottled up and ready to drink.

The ginger beer has a strong flavor that grates against the throat, but for those who might be put off by that, there is a sweeter version: the TGBG Ginger Turon Beer.

Llamera said this variant has banana and langka extract.

The innovative idea gives a new twist to the traditional beverage in the Philippines —best of all, it's healthy and safe for everyone to drink. Bottoms up! — MDM, GMA News