Best Ginger Beer

My family has always loved ginger beer... ever since we lived in Pennsylvania where it was popular and easily accessible. However, whenever we tried making it ourselves, it was always either too sweet, or too bitter, or else just took forever to make. When I ran across this recipe on Jamie Oliver's website, I just had to try it and it ended up being perfect! Sweet and tangy with a bit of a bite at the end ;) Enjoy!

Best Ginger Beer

4 oz Ginger Root (about 1 medium root)
4 TBS Brown Sugar or other sweetener
2 Lemons
1 25oz bottle Perrier or Pellegrino

Shred ginger with a course cheese grater (you can leave the skins on if you like). Place the ginger and it's juice into a bowl and add the sugar. Peel the lemons lightly and add the zest to the mix. Pound for about 30 seconds with a pestle or heavy object like a rolling pin to mix the flavors. Add the sparkling water and let sit for 10 minutes or so. Strain the liquid into a pitcher and refrigerate till cold or serve with ice. If it's too bitter, just add a touch more sugar till it's the way you want it.