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, don’t expect it to turn out exactly like the sodas from the store shelves we’re so used to. For some, it might be an acquired taste. When my niece first tried it, she said it “smelled different” when she first put it to her lips. It wasn’t a “bad” smell, it was just…unexpected. Remember that this is a fermented beverage which goes through a process not unlike kombucha. The ginger bug is a bacteria (don’t worry—this kind is our friend!). It feasts on the sugar that’s present in the soda. Carbon dioxide bubbles form and so do healthy probiotics that your digestive system will love you for.
I hope my niece’s reaction to her first ginger bug soda doesn’t 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 that’s 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 here—it takes a few days for it to start working but once it does you’ll 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 life—homemade 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 they’ll be crawling with hungry helpers that will do wonders for your gut health.
If there’s any advice I can offer when making lacto fermented sodas, use chlorine free water. Chlorine is in our tap water to kill bacteria—exactly 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 don’t use honey. This is for the same reason the doctor tells us to drink tea with honey to sooth a sore throat—it kills bacteria. Additionally, never add the ginger bug while your soda wort is still hot—this can also kill it.
If you’ve 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, you’ll 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 🙁 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 🙂
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 !
You’re 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 don’t believe it’s the acidity that slows carbonation. I would sooner think it’s 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 it’s 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.