Re “...back in the 50s our moms and nans always gave us ginger ale when we were home sick with a cold” I remember getting it when sick, but connect it to curing upset stomach.
On further review, I think we had it in the house for company and the adult ‘Highballs’ ...
Do you know if what we can now buy in supermarkets has actual Ginger in it? What about “Ginger Beer”?
LOL -- I remember the older generation talking about "highballs." Even when my aunties were in their 90s in the nursing home, they would have a highball every evening. Being southerners, this is pronounced "HAH bauw."
I do not know about today's ginger products, but I would recommend reading the label -- it should just say "ginger" in the ingredient list -- watch out for "artificial flavor(s)." It's a pretty difficult flavor to synthesize. And ginger is not rare; it is used plentifully in British, Chinese, Japanese, West Indies and African cultures. Our local Caribbean store and the Hispanic store always have a huge pile of raw ginger root and a wide variety of imported but affordable ginger products -- ginger teas, sodas, cookies, salad dressing, meat and fish rubs, etc.
I keep dried ginger powder for baking my gingersnaps, soft ginger cookies, ginger chocolate chip cookies (the best!), and gingerbread cakes; but I buy some fresh root for holiday baking, and keep some ginger root in the freezer. Using grated fresh root really punches up the flavor.