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
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 cups of water (chlorine-free)
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cranberry juice
- 6 Tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup ginger bug starter
- Spices, fruit, and other flavor additions (see section above for suggestions)
Instructions
- Mix the water, juice, and sugar in a 1-quart (1 L) mason jar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the ginger bug, and any additional flavors.
- Cover the jar with a piece of cloth or a coffee filter held in place with a rubber band or metal ring. Place the jar somewhere warm to ferment for 3 to 5 days. Give it a good stir each day.Â
- Once it is bubbling, strain the liquid into a swing-top bottle or plastic pop bottle. Allow it to ferment at room temperature for 3 to 5 more days to build up the carbonation. Taste a little bit, and add more sugar if needed. Most of the initial sugar will have been used up by the ginger bug, so it may be quite tart.
- Once the cranberry ginger ale is fizzy, store it in the refrigerator and enjoy! Ginger bug sodas are best if consumed within four weeks of bottling.
Notes
- To make brewed ginger ale, you need to catch a ginger bug starter. It usually only takes 2 to 5 days as ginger (particularly organic ginger) naturally ferments. Once you have the starter, you can brew all sorts of different flavors of ginger beer.
- For a refined sugar-free option, use apple juice instead of water. It will provide enough natural sugars to feed the ginger bug. You will need to add 1 Tbsp of white sugar when bottling to help with the carbonation.