Ginger Bug Recipe: Starter for Homemade Sodas

Although it’s hard to imagine, there was a time when root beer and ginger beer weren’t sugary sodas, but healthful probiotic brews. As recently as the early 1900s, it was common to ferment these very low alcohol “beers” (more along the lines of today’s kombucha) at home. If you’d like to experiment with making your own old-fashioned fermented sodas, the first thing you’ll need is a ginger bug recipe.

What’s a Ginger Bug?

A ginger bug is a live culture made with ginger root, sugar, and water. Because it uses a wild fermentation process, it’s one of the simplest ways to start a fermented beverage — you don’t need to track down a SCOBY or special wine or brewing yeast.

However, while the basic process is simple and the ingredients are readily available, nurturing a wild yeast culture is an art. It might take some practice, so don’t be discouraged if it takes a couple of tries to get your ginger bug going. That said, I certainly hope this ginger bug recipe sets you up for success!

Why Brew Your Own?

I’ve written about the harmful ingredients in store-bought soda before, namely refined sugar and the unnamed chemicals in “artificial flavors.” Still, it’s worth a reminder that these ingredients contribute to the toxic load on our system, especially when consumed again and again over time. Our bodies are constantly working to repair damage from toxin exposures, but when they become overwhelmed, we start to see disease.

In contrast, fermented herbal drinks will benefit your health, helping your body do its innate healing work. First, there are the benefits of whatever herbs you use in the base tea — many herbs cleanse or tonify our internal systems, for instance. And because you’re making your starter culture using this ginger bug recipe, your brew will get a boost from ginger, including its anti-inflammatory and digestion-supporting properties.

“Rather than creating more work for our internal repair systems, drinking an old-fashioned brew supports the body in its regenerative process.”

Additional benefits come from the fermentation process, which increases the bioavailability of minerals in the base tea and produces probiotic bacteria for a healthy gut microbiome, as well as producing several B vitamins.

Rather than creating more work for our internal repair systems, drinking an old-fashioned brew supports the body in its regenerative process.

I mean really, why do we have that ice chest full of sugar and dye filled drinks at the party, picnic or family gathering? Not to mention the school and sports functions, those seem to be where we let down our guard and send the message to our kids, that group gatherings are the place to junk out. It’s like the drinks are an afterthought and it’s usually twice as expensive to find something at the store that is semi-acceptable to provide enough drinks for a large group of people.

We know the saying, you are what you eat.
Go ahead and add to that:
“You are what you drink”

Claim your drinks! It is so easy to make healthy drinks. Along with brewing your soda’s, my blog is full of easy to make, healthy party drinks! Here are a few: How to Make Homemade Ginger Ale and Refreshing Lavender Mint Lemonade Recipe.

Print Recipe

Ginger Bug Recipe

Wild fermentation is an organic process that can vary greatly with the region you’re in, the season, and the ambient temperature in your home. The times given here are general guidelines, but the most important thing is to observe your bug. Don’t be afraid to follow your instincts. Similarly, don’t be afraid to fail and try again!

Author: Kami McBride

Ingredients

• 2 cups filtered water
• 1/2 ounce organic cane sugar
• 1 ounce fresh ginger

Instructions

Start Your Ginger Bug

• Combine the ingredients in a quart-sized glass jar.
• Cap with a lid or a piece of cheesecloth, and let sit overnight in a warm location

Nurture Your Ginger Bug

• Each day for the next 4-6 days, add: 1 tbsp. grated ginger + 1 tsp sugar + a splash of filtered water
• Seal the jar.
• Within this timeframe, you should start to see bubbles forming. This means your ginger bug is ready!

Notes

Tip: Your ginger bug will be ready earlier if you store it in a warm location, like near a radiator or woodstove (but not too close that it starts to cook!). If it’s summer and your house’s temperature is cool from the air conditioning, try storing your ginger bug on a heat blanket set to the lowest settings. 

How to Use Your Ginger Bug

When your ginger bug is ready, you can use it to ferment up to a gallon of sweetened herbal tea. You can follow a recipe like my old-fashioned root beer recipe, or improvise your own homemade probiotic drink.

Print Recipe

How to Use Your Ginger Bug

Here’s a general formula for making your own 1-gallon recipe.

Author: Kami McBride

Instructions

• Boil 8 cups of water.
• Add your choice of herbs. When calculating amounts, keep in mind this recipe makes 16 cups total.
• Add 1½ cups of sugar to your herbal tea base. The sugar is essential to the fermentation process – it’s food for the yeast – so it’s important to include it.
• Boil for 15 minutes, then remove from heat.
• Strain your ginger bug.
• Once the tea has cooled completely, add your strained ginger bug to the tea.
• Add enough water to make 1 gallon (about 8 more cups).
• Bottle in flip-top sealable bottles.
• Leave to ferment for about two weeks. It’s done when it’s fizzy and carbonated after you flip the top. Transfer the bottles to your fridge to slow the fermentation process (and prevent them from exploding!) once you reach your desired level of fizziness.
• It is important to “burp” or open your bottles to release the fizziness.

A Bug You’ll Want to Share

Once you’re comfortable brewing old-fashioned soda, try sharing with family and friends at a gathering. One of my favorite ways to share herbalism is with tasty drinks because not only are they a great alternative to sugary sodas and drink mixes, but they help dispel the idea that herbalism is disconnected from daily life or too complicated to learn. The opposite is true.

Herbalism is meant to be woven into every meal, and, as with this ginger bug recipe, learning a new technique can feel enchanting. With it, we’re tapping into an ancient wisdom that empowers us to care for our bodies while bringing us into closer connection with the Earth from which we are woven.

Join me in the kitchen? In my online class, My Herbal Kitchen, you’ll get step-by-step guidance and videos revealing practical ways to support your family’s health with medicinal drinks and meals, even if you’re short on time or dealing with the pickiest of eaters.