2cupsfiltered water(More may be added, as needed.)
For the soda
1literfruit juice
¼cupactive ginger bug
Instructions
Make the ginger bug
Add 2 cups of filtered water to a jar with a tablespoon of sugar and a tablespoon of grated or finely minced ginger.
Mix everything together and cover the jar with a cloth to keep bugs and dust out. Hold the cloth in place with a rubber band. Leave the jar undisturbed, at room temperature, for 24 hours.
The next day, add another tablespoon of sugar and another tablespoon of ginger. (You can also add in a little water whenever you see the mixture is too overrun with minced ginger.) Once again, mix everything together and cover it with the cloth. Leave it undisturbed for another 24 hours.
Repeat step 3 each day until you get an active ginger bug. You can tell that your ginger bug is active and ready when you start to see bubbles forming at the top and a white precipitate falling to the bottom. (This normally takes place after around 4-8 days.)Once the ginger bug is active, it can be used to make sodas.
Making a probiotic soda
Mix together the fruit juice and active ginger bug and pour into sealable, air-tight bottles. (Flip-cap bottles are my favorite!)
Seal the bottles and leave the juice to ferment with the ginger bug at room temperature overnight.
The next day, check on the gas formation by opening the bottle. If not much gas has formed, seal the bottle again and leave it at room temperature for several more hours.
After several hours, check on the gas formation again. Again, if not much gas has formed, seal it and continue to ferment it. When you are happy with the amount of carbonation achieved, store the soda in the fridge. The cold will help slow the fermentation process.
Video
Notes
Nutritional information is calculated based on the ingredients used but doesn't take into consideration the fermentation of the sugar. This likely lowers the number of carbohydrates and may also affect other metrics.This is best made with white sugar and filtered water. You can also make a homemade soda using a fruit purée and water instead of fruit juice. To help feed the ginger bug and develop enough gas, you may need to add some sugar syrup to the purée and water mixture. (You may also find it helpful to add some to the juice of low-sugar fruits like berries.)
Sugar Syrup
A sugar syrup can be made by mixing together equal parts of sugar and water and heating them over low to medium heat. Stir while cooking and remove the mixture from the heat once the sugar has dissolved. Once cool, it can be added to your ferments.You may need to experiment with the ratio of fruit purée and water and the amount of sugar syrup, if any, is needed. This will depend on the fruit used and will also vary by each person's taste.
Storing the ginger bug
To keep the ginger bug active and ready to ferment more soda or ginger beer, you should continue to add sugar and ginger each day. (You can also add water, as needed.)If, however, you need to take a break, you can place your ginger bug in the fridge to rest for around a week (up to 10 days or so). You'll need to add more sugar and ginger every week or so to keep it healthy. While it should remain healthy, the cold slows the fermentation. That's why you'll get the best results if you feed your ginger bug for two to three days before using it for soda again.
Ginger Vinegar
If left at room temperature without continuing to feed the ginger bug, it will eventually become acidic and form a vinegar mother on the surface. After several weeks you can strain your delicious ginger vinegar for use in a variety of recipes.