- 4+ oz of ginger (chopped roughly or smashed w mortar and pestle. no need to peel.)
- 1/2 cup sugar (can use white, turbinado, or light brown)
- 2 cups cold water
- Some flavs (e.g. lime/lemon juice + rinds, bay leaves, cayenne peppercorns, turmeric, etc.)
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Combine above ingredients in a medium pot and simmer until sugar has disintegrated, the ginger’s flavor has been sucked into the syrup, and mixture has reduced slightly. let cool on stove for at least an hour, then strain and discard the stuff.
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If you want to make both liters at once, pour half of the syrup in each bottle. If you want to make just one liter pour half into a bottle and the other half into a jar to save in the fridge.
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Add somewhere between 1/16th and 1/8th tsp of champagne yeast to each bottle. (More yeast will make the GB more funky and less sweet; less yeast will make a sweeter and milder brew.) Shake + swish gently.
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Fill the bottle(s) with cold water, leaving 2 inches or so of space at the top to accommodate the production of oxygen.
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Leave out in a warmish room. After 2 days, your GB will be bubbly. Drink up or move to the fridge to prevent fermentation. If you wait longer that 2 days, just make sure you twist open the cap once a day to relieve some pressure in the bottle.
- Plastic seltzer bottles works best! definitely avoid glass.
- Rule of thumb: 1/2 cup of sugar means between 1/8 and 1/4 tsp yeast!