In an off grid situation, whether by choice or by social unrest, a nice treat is needed to raise morale. This is a simple recipe to refresh yourself on hot summer days or relax with a mixer near a fire at night. With just a few simple ingredients and a bit of creativity, you can create your own fruit infused sodas that are delicious and free of artificial flavors and preservatives.
Important note that this will be a labor of love and experimentation. You control the sweetness and flavors. If your first batch does not come out quite right, keep tweaking with the recipe and write down your progress.
The basic ingredients are as follows...
These are ratios for 1 gallon of soda, you can reduce or adjust these ratios
Add your mixture to a container that can be sealed securely, before sealing, stir your mixture vigorously. If you feel like you may not have incorporated the ingredients enough, stir some more. We want to introduce a lot of oxygen to the container. Remember that this is going to naturally carbonate, so leave some headroom at the top of your container. Seal your container and leave to ferment in a room temperature area without much sunlight for 2-3 days. This allows the yeast to build that carbonation without being disturbed.
After your fermentation period we must examine the brew. Your sense of smell and hearing will be the major factor here. If the brew is properly fermented we should see bubbles but also hear the bubbles popping and reforming. We should also smell a slightly acidic but powerful fruity smell without the smell of alcohol. If you smell alcohol you have gone past natural carbonation to making mead. Once you know your fermentation is complete you can strain your mixture into serving containers to be sealed and placed in the fridge or chilled to be preserved and slow further fermentation.