I was never really a ginger-shot girl. Before about two months ago, I’d had only a few ginger shots ever. Every now and then I’d pick one up if I felt the telltale signs of a cold coming on. Or maybe I’d grab one on the go if I felt particularly tired and needed more of a pick-me-up than my usual oat flat white could offer.
However, all of that changed a few months ago, when, during a dive in the deepest parts of the internet, I found myself reading an interview with the famously energetic and peppy Anna Kendrick from 2020 in Shape magazine. (Don’t ask me how I got there—I honestly have no idea.)
“I am powered by ginger,” the actor said. “I keep wellness shots of ginger, lemon, and cayenne from Pressed Juicery in my fridge. If I’m traveling and I can’t have ginger, I’ll feel sick. There was a time when I was in Germany for three months and I couldn’t find a crushed-juice place. So I bought a juicer and a bunch of ginger to make it myself because I was positive it was the only thing keeping me alive.”
I am not normally one to fall for hyperbolic celebrities gushing about their latest wellness hack. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but be seduced. After all, I was in rough shape—tired, constantly teetering at the edge of burnout, waking up with sniffles and a headache. Were Kendrick’s magic ginger shots really warding off illness and…keeping her alive? I wanted to be powered by ginger! (Frankly, I wanted to be powered by anything.) So I started taking ginger shots too.
It began with ordering the shots in my weekly grocery store order—seven shots for about $7. Then, when my partner realized what was happening, he insisted we could make them ourselves. (“Think of the plastic waste! Think of the cost-of-living crisis! Think of the preservatives!”)
At first I was worried. Surely a homemade ginger shot could never have the same zingy flavor and smooth texture of a store-bought one? However, I was wrong. He found a super-simple three-ingredient recipe (thank you, BBC Good Food) that, once well blended and strained, tasted—I’ll say it—even better.
And so my journey into ginger shots began. I made it my mission to head straight to the fridge and pour myself a 25ml shot first thing every morning. Sometimes I’d sip it slowly as I got to work. Other days I’d knock it back like a tequila.
There’s something about a ginger shot that can immediately make you feel healthier. Whether it’s all in my head or not, I love the way one shot instantly clears out your sinuses. I won’t lie—a ginger shot can leave behind a fiery sensation in your mouth, throat, and nose, but…in a good way? Like your whole system has been blasted clear of, well, anything. I usually wake up feeling groggy. From the first shot, all of that changed.
