Vernors: Not just for Boston Coolers anymore

Once in a while (maybe twice a year) I have a taste for onion rings, but last week when the mood hit I didn’t have any beer in the house for the traditional recipe. So I turned to another brown and fizzy beverage that we had on hand, and came up with a delish dish: Vernors Onion Rings.

Vernors, Detroit’s original ginger ale, made a fine substitute for the beer.

In fact, we gobbled up the first batch of onion rings and I made a couple more mounds of the greasy treat.

It’s a simple recipe, and you can play with it a bit depending on whether you like the batter thick or thin. Add seasonings to taste.

For more about Vernors, including the recipe for the Boston Cooler, see the related Great Lakes Gazette post at Raise A Glass On 313: National Vernors Day.

VERNORS BATTER ONION RINGS

1 cup flour

1 cup Vernors, room temperature

2 large, sweet onions

1-2 tsp paprika (to taste, optional)

2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup cornstarch

vegetable or canola oil for deep frying

Method

Whisk the flour, baking powder, paprika and salt in a bowl and create a well in the center. Pour the Vernors into the well; whisk until smooth; should resemble pancake batter

Let batter rest for up to an hour

Peel the onions and slice into 1/2 inch rings; separate and toss with cornstarch

Heat the oil to 365-375 degrees in a heavy pot (oil should be at least 2-3 inches deep) or a deep fryer

Dip onion rings into the batter and let the excess drip into the bowl; a fork works for this

Carefully place rings in the hot oil; do not crowd—they shouldn’t touch
(Do a test ring; if oil is hot enough, it will rise right away and not stick to pan)

Fry rings until golden, about 90 seconds per side; as you remove them from the pot shake off excess oil; long tongs work best for this

Transfer rings to a cooling rack on a baking sheet lined with paper towels; sprinkle with salt

If you’re making a lot of onion rings put the sheet into a 200 degree oven to keep rings warm while cooking up the batch

Recipe, photos and stories copyright Kath Usitalo and may not be used without permission