The “No Excuses Extra-Easy Bottle Method”

by Marley Peifer

 

Equipment:

  • 1 clean 2 liter plastic soda bottle
  • Funnel
  • Grater, preferably with fine teeth (not the ones used for nutmeg but smaller version of the cheese ones)
  • Measuring Cups and Spoons
  • Large Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Organic Evaporated Cane Syrup (AKA minimally processed sugar)
  • 1 pint of finely chopped Organic strawberries (hopefully from your backyard)
  • 2 Tbsps of grated organic ginger
  • Juice from one organic lemon
  • ¼ tsp baker’s yeast
  • water to balance

Method:

  1. Begin by heating up 2 cups of water on the stove (this step is not necessary but the hot water helps to melt the sugar).
  2. Grate ginger into bowl then add the cup of sugar.
  3. Pour the hot (almost boiling) water onto the ingredients in the mixing bowl. Mix with a spoon to dissolve sugar. Add the juice of one lemon and the strawberries.
  4. Once the sugar is dissolved, add 1 cup of cold water to the mixture in the bowl then pour through the funnel into the 2 liter soda bottle.
  5. Add ¼ tsp of baker’s yeast (use a dry funnel or else it will stick to the sides).
  6. Add more water to fill to top.
  7. Tighten the cap very well then shake and leave somewhere warm (65-75F would be ideal) for 24 to 48 hours.
  8. Test for readiness by squeezing the bottle. When it feels pretty close to rock hard it is time to put it in the refrigerator. The length of time it takes to get ready is variable. The sure sign of when the soda is ready is the hardness of the bottle.
  9. Leave the bottle in the refrigerator until it is very cold then serve. When serving do not unscrew the cap all the way, just enough for liquid to come out. This acts as a filter for the chunks of ginger and it also prevents the soda from gushing if it is over-carbonated.
  10.  If the soda is not as carbonated as you like it then reseal it and leave it out at room temperature until it gets very hard again, then place it in refrigeration again.
  11.  Caution: do NOT leave the bottle out of the refrigerator for more than a day or two once the bottle is rock hard. It can explode. Luckily plastic bottles designed to hold pressure are very strong and are much safer than glass.
  12.  This recipe can be modified in many ways once you try out the base recipe. You can add less sugar or more ginger. You can add different herbs or fruits from your garden and you can also use different types of sugar such as honey. You can also learn how to use glass but it is more complicated and dangerous.
3 Comments
  1. Author
    marley 13 years ago

    Wow! That is a great recipe! What a great way to get started on the fulfilling path of fluid fermentation!

  2. Author
    marley 12 years ago

    Even if you have plastic-phobic tendencies, like many health-conscious people in our part of California, I HIGHLY recommend you try carbonating beverages in plastic soda bottles before trying it in glass.
    Carbonated beverages are fun! Flying glass shrapnel is NOT fun!

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