Homemade Cranberry Ginger Ale
Homemade cranberry ginger ale is a sour, sweet, sparkling and spicy drink. Made with the ginger bug, it is a delicious and probiotic holiday tradition.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Category: Beverage
- Method: Fermented
- Cuisine: Canadian
Scale
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups cranberry juice
- 6 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup ginger bug starter (liquid only)
- Spices, fruit and other flavour additions (see section above)
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients (including any additional flavours) in a large mason jar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Cover with a piece of cloth or a coffee filter held in place with a rubber band or metal ring. Place the jar somewhere warm and allow to ferment for 3 days (stirring each day.)
- Once it is bubbling, strain the mixture and bottle it. Allow it to ferment for a further 3 to 5 days to build up the carbonation. You may need to add more sweetener at this time (to taste.)
- Once it’s fizzy, refrigerate and enjoy! Ginger bug sodas are best if consumed within four weeks of bottling.
Notes
- To make traditional ginger ale, you need to catch a ginger bug starter. It usually only takes 3-5 days as ginger naturally ferments.
- Replacing half or all of the cranberry juice with apple juice will provide enough natural sugars to avoid the need for added white sugar. Either way the resulting beverage will become less sweet as it ferments.
- Finished ginger ale will continue to build up carbonation. Use plastic pop bottles or swing-top bottles
(affiliate link) that are designed to handle the carbonation.
- Homemade cranberry ginger ale is a very strong flavoured beverage. For a milder drink, mix 50/50 with sparkling water.
Keywords: probiotic, ginger ale, ginger beer, thanksgiving, Christmas, winter sugar-free, holiday, gluten free, vegan
