RECIPE: Berry Ginger Soda

Ginger bug can be used to create all sorts of different probiotic soda pops. While they’ll always have a hint of ginger in the flavour, they won’t necessarily have the spice of ginger beer.

Find Emillie's recipe for Ginger Bug Starter here.

Ginger bug sodas can be flavoured with anything you want: different types of juice, herbal teas, spices, and other flavours. The only thing to keep in mind is that ginger bug sodas need sucrose (sugar) to feed the culture and carbonate, so don’t just use straight juice or tea.

Makes: 1 QUART (1 L)

INGREDIENTS 2 cups (500 mL) of berry juice (100% juice) 1½ cups (375 mL) chlorine-free water 3 Tbsp raw sugar ¼ cup (60 mL) ginger bug starter RECIPE Mix together the juice, water, and sugar in a 1-quart (1 L) glass jar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the ginger bug starter, then stir everything one last time to fully mix.

Place a piece of fabric or coffee filter over the opening of the jar and secure it in place with a metal jar ring or rubber band. Leave the ginger bug soda to ferment at room temperature, giving it a good stir each day. After 3–5 days, bubbles should be forming at the top of the jar.

Strain the soda into a flip-top beer bottle or plastic pop bottle. Cap it and leave it out at room temperature for another 2–7 days. Check the soda every 2 days to see if it is carbonated. When it’s fully carbonated, move it to the fridge. Enjoy within 1 month of bottling.

TIPS While most flavours of juice will work, avoid mixes that contain pineapple or citrus, neither of which ferment nicely with a ginger bug. If you’re using store-bought juice, make sure it’s 100% juice, not from concentrate. Excerpted from Fermenting Made Simple by Emillie Parrish. Copyright © 2022 by Emillie Parrish.