The thing I love about making my own Ginger Bug Soda is the fizz. The way you twist the cap, and the sound of the pop, and then the way it cackles over the ice cubes.
And no, I wouldn’t dream of drinking a store-bought fructose-laden syrup full of artificial flavoring. It so easy to make my own, with fresh ingredients from the produce aisle. See the full instructions on how to make your own fizzy soda here.
But I noticed something. Sometimes I just crave bubbly mineral water. No sugar. Just the pure flavor of mineral water with bubbles.
Could I achieve this with a ginger bug? Or would a I need all the sugar to create the fermentation that creates the carbonation?
To find out, I broke down my soda recipe into weight.
One quart of soda, about the size of an empty wine bottle, needs 80 grams of sugar to make the full sweetness and fizz of soda.
Armed with my scale, I cut those sugar grams down to 40 — okay, maybe it was 42.
The only flavor I added was 1/4 cup of lime juice, and a sliver of fresh ginger. And of course, 1/4 cup of ginger bug.
I sealed the bottles with the screw top lids, and moved them to a dark warm place. In 3 days, I remembered to check the bottles, and saw that they had not exploded. but, after loosening the cap, I heard the fizz, and realized I has just created a very flavorful version of flavored soda water.
Quite refreshing.
DIY soda water
Makes 1 quart.
1/4 cup lime or lemon juice
slivers of ginger
1 quart of water, minus one cup. (You need to account for headspace to keep the fizz from rising to the top of the bottle, and for the juice.
1/4 cup Ginger Bug.
mix all ingredients, and seal tightly in a glass wine bottle or mason jar. Set in a dark warm place for about 3 days, opening the lid and listening for fizz. Once you have a pop, drink immediately or move to the refrigerator to slow down the carbonation process.