fermented grape soda recipe
Author: 
Recipe type: drink
 
Ingredients
  • 4 teaspoons finely grated washed organic ginger, divided (grate 1 teaspoon at a time over 4 days)
  • 4 teaspoons sugar, divided
  • 3 pounds organic red seedless grapes (I used the Flame variety -- try something else for color and taste variation.)
  • Special Equipment: A clean 1-liter plastic soda bottle with cap; cheesecloth to cover canning bottle and large piece of muslin/cheesecloth to fit over large bowl; large mesh strainer
Instructions
  1. DAY 1: Stir 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 4 cups water in a 32-ounce canning jar to combine. Cover jar with cheesecloth; secure with a canning jar band (without lid) or tight rubber band. Let sit 1 day out of direct sunlight at room temperature.
  2. DAY 2: Stir in 1 teaspoon ginger and 1 teaspoon sugar and let sit 1 day.
  3. DAYS 3 and 4: Repeat twice more with ginger/sugar additions as above. The mixture (ginger bug) should have bubbles throughout and release more when agitated.
  4. DAY 4: After 4 days, purée grapes in a blender until smooth. Strain, pressing on solids The original recipe state that you should have about 4 cups juice; I had just over 3½ cups. I added a bit of water to the strained mixture to bring it up to 3¾ cups.
  5. Combine juice and ½ cup ginger bug in a large nonreactive bowl.* Cover with cheesecloth or muslin cloth; secure with a large rubber band. Let sit out of direct sunlight at room temperature, skimming white mold from surface, until mixture is slightly foamy and releases bubbles when stirred, 3–4 days. (I waited to the morning of Day 4 just to make sure it was nice and bubbly.)
  6. Strain into bottle, cap, and let sit at room temperature until bottle feels pressurized.** The original recipe states that it may take about one day longer; it only took mine about 8 hours, then the bottle felt so tight with pressure, I worried that it may burst overnight in the fridge. I gently and slowly unscrewed the cap slightly to release some of the air before going to bed, praying that I wouldn't awaken to the sound of something akin to a trapped animal exploding in a metal cage. Additionally, if the CO2 levels get too high, yeast will die and the fermentation process will stop. Chill until cold before serving with lots of ice. I found my soda very sweet so the ice was a must to dilute it slightly. Otherwise, it was a refreshing drink!***
  7. Soda can be made 2 weeks ahead. Keep chilled. Makes less than 1 liter.
Notes
* Keep this ginger bug to use for other fermentation projects. As long as you keep adding ginger and sugar to it to keep it active, it will last practically forever. ** I strained the mixture with a metal mesh strainer, not cheesecloth. *** THE BASICS: You can ferment just about any juice that isn't pasteurized! I recommend buying unpasteurized juices rather than trying to puree your fruit, unless you are using grapes or something that is very juicy. Whatever it is, keep it in a dark, cool/room temperature (not cold) area. The longer the juice ferments, the less sugar it will have in the final product. Your room temperature may vary, so you may end up with a very different product at different times of year or from kitchen to kitchen. A warmer room will speed up the rate of fermentation. It's expected that every batch of homemade soda will be slightly different: some will be sweeter, some more dry, and some more effervescent. It also depends on the juice you use: The fermentation should only take 2-5 days depending on how much sugar is in the juice. After a few days of fermenting, bottle the juice tightly and let it carbonate for about 24 hours in the refrigerator. I tried this with some ripe but not overly juicy pureed pears. It was a FAIL. Eat and I agreed that the final product was too sludgy (even though I used cheesecloth to strain it) and it tasted like soap.
Recipe by story of a kitchen at https://www.storyofakitchen.com/drink-recipes/fermented-grape-soda-recipe/