How to Use a Ginger Bug to Make Soda
With my ginger bug soda recipes, fruit is simmered with a bit of juice, sugar, and water to create a refreshing, natural soda flavor. Then we add our ginger bug to the cooled mixture to initiate fermentation.
I break out the mixture into these percentages:
- 70% water
- 4% sugar
- 12% fruit
- 10% citrus juice
- 4% ginger bug
With this formulation, we obtain a total sugar concentration of approximately 6-10%. Unlike our other fizzy drinks, such as water kefir and kombucha, we don’t add any more sugar during the secondary fermentation. The same 6% to 10 % sugar fuels both primary and secondary. Which gives us similar, low ABV results.
Naturally Fermented Soda
I usually decide how much wild soda to brew by the volume of bottles I have available.
Let’s say I have two 1-liter bottles and a half-liter bottle. So I want to make 2500 ml of berry lemonade soda using the wild blackberries I picked from my best friend’s backyard.
Using this recipe logic, we’re going to simmer together:
- 70% water = 1750 mL water
- 4% sugar = 100 grams organic sugar
- 12% fruit = 300 grams blackberries
- 10% juice = 250 mL lemon juice
We’ll simmer that mix, then strain that and let it cool, then add in:
- 4% ginger bug = 100 grams ginger bug
How long does it take to ferment ginger bug soda?
The total time it takes to brew ginger bug soda depends on the temperature of your home. If it is cooler, fermentation will take longer, and if it’s warmer, it will ferment faster. Generally, primary fermentation lasts two days, and secondary fermentation takes approximately the same amount of time. So, expect at least four days. When I brew natural soda in the colder months, my secondary fermentation can take up to five days.
The secondary fermentation time is also adjustable, allowing you to control the level of carbonation. Carbonation depends on your unique ginger bug, temperature, and the remaining sugar from the primary fermentation.
Does ginger bug soda contain alcohol?
Yes and no, it really depends. When following this recipe exactly, ABV content is usually below 1%. The amount of alcohol is variable, however, and depends significantly on the amount of sugar used in the mixture. Higher sugar fruit juices and fruits can lead to higher alcohol levels.
This is why we don’t toss a ginger bug in 100% juice. Most fruit juices are 20% to 30% sugar. If we added ginger bug to grape juice, for instance, that would give us something like sour grape wine, not “soda”.
It’s important to note that people historically used ginger bugs to brew alcoholic beverages, specifically ginger beer. So there will always be, at least, trace amounts of alcohol. Remember, when it comes to fermented beverages of any kind: lower sugar = lower alcohol.
Why does ginger bug soda explode sometimes?
Sugar, carbonation, and alcohol go hand in hand. Ginger bug sodas are explosive when people do not measure or control the sugar content.
This is also why we don’t toss a ginger bug in 100% juice. Again, most fruit juices are 20% to 30% sugar. If we added ginger bug to 100% apple juice, for instance, that would give us apple cider that would explode in a pressurized bottle. There’s too much sugar.
Any ginger bug “sodas” that explode on the ceiling when opened are also, most definitely, alcoholic.
Things You May Need:
Ginger Bug Soda Master Recipe (Make Any Flavor Soda)
Use my ginger bug soda master recipe to brew any flavor natural soda at home! This recipe controls sugar content to achieve the lowest possible ABV (below 1%), while still maintaining good carbonation.
- Prep: 30 minutes
- ferment: 4 days
Ingredients
- 100 grams ginger bug*
- 300 grams fruit*
- 250 mL citrus juice*
- 1750 mL water
- 100 grams organic cane sugar
Instructions
- You need an active bubbly ginger bug for this recipe. Click here for my ginger bug recipe.
- Primary fermentation: Wash your fermentation equipment well. Gather all your ingredients.
- Using your scale, measure out the called-for amounts of sugar and fruit.
- Add the sugar, fruit, citrus juice, and water to the large pot.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. Remove the mixture from heat. Using a colander, strain off all of the fruit pieces.
- Carefully pour the mixture into the two clean glass jars, cover with a cloth and a rubber band, and allow it to cool.
- Once cool, add 50 grams of the ginger bug to each jar, and replace the cloth lid. (When measuring the ginger bug, I mix up the ginger bug, then measure. So it’s a mix of liquid and ginger pieces from the bug)
- Primary ferment for about 2-3 days. I advise stirring it once or twice a day during primary fermentation. Visible changes you’re looking for during the first ferment include a cloudy liquid, a slight lightening of color, and sediment at the bottom of the jar.
- Secondary fermentation: Wash your fermentation equipment with hot soapy water (bottle, strainer, and funnel).
- Strain off all of the ginger pieces from the primary fermentation mixture.
- Place the funnel in the bottle’s opening and pour the primary fermentation mixture into the bottle, leaving only about 1/2 to 1 inch of headspace.
- Close and secure the lid, making sure to snap the metal closure closed.
- Allow secondary fermenting and carbonation to proceed for about 48 hours.
- If your house is warm, please check the carbonation level every 24 hours. If your home is cool, you may need to let secondary fermentation run longer.
- Once carbonated, store in the refrigerator.
Notes
- When measuring out the grams of ginger bug, I mix it up. So I use liquid and ginger pieces from the bug for culturing.
- Any citrus juice will do. I love using lemon, lime, and orange juice.
- You can use any fruit in this recipe, depending on the flavor you want to make.
- You must cook the ingredients before culturing with your ginger bug.
If I wanted to make an orange soda with these proportions would you cut up some orange flesh as the fruit component? Or use zest and boil this?
sure! and you can use orange juice as the citrus juice in the recipe 🙂
Thanks for the formula! My very first successful soda – yay!I made it with strawberries as the fruit. I did find it a little sweet. Would that be because the strawberries were a very sweet variety or can you adjust the sugar amount? Wasn’t sure if that would throw out ratios in the formula. If I wanted to make a lemon variety do I simmer the lemon flesh?
yay!!! I’m thrilled to hear it was a success! Yes, sweeter fruit can mean a sweeter and/or more carbonated soda. As for adjusting the sugar, you can reduce the sugar a little, but do not increase the sugar. You can also let it primary ferment a little longer for a less sweet more tart soda. For a lemon soda I’d use lemon juice as the citrus juice, and maybe do a tablespoon of lemon zest instead of fruit 🙂
Thanks so much for all your advice.
Two successful sodas down and now thinking of options. Have you ever done one with passionfruit pulp? Any ideas on how this could work?
yay!! Love hearing that they were successful! Would you leave a 5-star review on this recipe if you love it?:)
passion fruit would be so yummy! I haven’t tried it yet, but I think you could just use the pulp as the fruit in this recipe. That may require a lot of passion fruits though, so maybe a mix of passion fruit pineapple?
This is the most amazing guide – had total success where I haven’t before