Lemon Lime Ginger Bug Soda
When I first started using a ginger bug, all I made was ginger ale. It only seems fitting, but ginger bug is not restricted to ginger ale. Any flavor soda can be carbonated with it. By steeping ingredients like sarsaparilla for root beer, tamarind for cola and teabags for fizzy iced tea the possibilities are endless. One particular soda I wanted to try was lemon lime, sort of my own version of 7UP. It turned out delicious! It was tangy, refreshing and the flavor was clean with the slightest profile of the ginger bug.
First of all, when you make your own lacto fermented soda using a ginger bug, donât expect it to turn out exactly like the sodas from the store shelves weâre so used to. For some, it might be an acquired taste. When my niece first tried it, she said it âsmelled differentâ when she first put it to her lips. It wasnât a âbadâ smell, it was justâŠunexpected. Remember that this is a fermented beverage which goes through a process not unlike kombucha. The ginger bug is a bacteria (donât worryâthis kind is our friend!). It feasts on the sugar thatâs present in the soda. Carbon dioxide bubbles form and so do healthy probiotics that your digestive system will love you for.
I hope my nieceâs reaction to her first ginger bug soda doesnât scare you. Right after this, my nephew tried this and he beamed with delight. He ended up finishing the whole bottle, and whatever it is thatâs different about that first smell quickly disappears once it hits your lips. (My niece did end up liking it.)
You can learn how to make a ginger bug soda starter by clicking hereâit takes a few days for it to start working but once it does youâll be able to make any flavor soda your heart can imagine. Do you have someone in your life who drinks too much store bought soda? Get ginger bug into your lifeâhomemade sodas may not be one hundred percent healthy (after all, sugar is sugar), but your new sodas will contain drastically less sugar and as a huge bonus theyâll be crawling with hungry helpers that will do wonders for your gut health.
If thereâs any advice I can offer when making lacto fermented sodas, use chlorine free water. Chlorine is in our tap water to kill bacteriaâexactly what a ginger bug is. By leaving tap water out for twenty four hours, the chlorine disappears. You can use almost any sweetener for your soda, but donât use honey. This is for the same reason the doctor tells us to drink tea with honey to sooth a sore throatâit kills bacteria. Additionally, never add the ginger bug while your soda wort is still hotâthis can also kill it.
If youâve never tried making homemade soda pop with a ginger bug, I highly recommend giving it a shot. The best part will be checking it each day for the first bubbles, and when you chill your soda and try it for the first time, youâll relish how easy it was and be on your adventure to creating your very own custom created fizzy drinks.
Watch a recipe video for Lemon Lime Soda here!
Ingredients
- 1 quart water, chlorine free
- 1 lemon, rind and juice
- 1 lime, rind and juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup active ginger bug
Instructions
- In a medium pot combine water with lemon and lime rinds. Try to exclude as much of the white pith as you can as it will make your soda bitter.
- Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add sugar, salt and the juice from the lemon and lime.
- Strain mixture and cool completely.
- Add ginger bug and seal in either recycled plastic soda bottles or glass bottles with swing top lids.
- Allow to ferment in a warm place for 2-3 days. Soda will be ready when you see bubbles forming on the top--this can take up to 6-7 days if temperature is cool. Burp the bottles by opening them to allow built up carbon dioxide to escape. Chill before serving and be sure to burp the bottles each day to release gas. Soda will become less sweet the longer it sits.
Yum
Mine isnt bubbling đ the ginger bug is good…very bubbly…followed your diections to a T.
Is it fermenting in a warm place? One time it took mine 6 days to get bubbly because it was in a place that was too cool. Also is your bottle nicely sealed? Was it well washed and rinsed of every trace of soap? I would give it time and don’t give up đ
hola ,gracias por tu video.. cuando dices un cuarto de agua ,significa 1 litro?
Hola! Si, 1 litro.
You mentioned using tea bags for a fizzy iced tea. Can you tell me how many you used to make it? Do you have a recipe?
I do not have a recipe but I would use one teabag per cup of water. I hope this helps.
Thanks for tout advice !
Sorry, “your” advice, lol. Have a Nice Day !
Youâre so very welcome!
Ive made this a couple of times. Seems to take longer than other drinks to carbonate. Once took a week, once it seemed not to happen at all. Do you think it is the acidity or just that there are less sugars in the lemon and lime juice? Any other advice?
I donât believe itâs the acidity that slows carbonation. I would sooner think itâs the varying amounts of sugar in the citrus fruits you are using from batch to batch. Temperature of the room is also critical to the speed of fermentation. I just made a batch of my ginger bug cola that fermented in 2 days because itâs so warm right now, but in winter it often takes 5 or 6 days. Also, if your bottle is contaminated with something this can inhibit fermenting. I hope these suggestions help.
Hallo, ist die Limonade alkoholfrei? Durch GĂ€rung entsteht doch Alkohol. Ich frage dies, weil ich es evtl. meinen Enkelkindern geben möchte. NatĂŒrlich nur ohne Alkohol.
Lieben Dank Maren
There may be a slight trace of alcohol but only a very small amount. I hope this answer helps đ
I tried to make this but it started to mold. I made sure everything was really clean and my ginger bug is strong and healthy. Where could I have gone wrong?
Oh no! How long was it before it started to mold? I have a feeling it was actually not mold and staring to work. When it ferments, it does look kind of like it might be mold on the sides and a little on the top surface, but it’s actually the bubbles forming. I thought the same thing too when I first tried it. Mold would take a lot longer to form. I may be wrong, but could this be the case?