This is a recipes for a homemade grapefruit soda. I have been making homemade ginger ale for a while now, actually its tastes more like a ginger beer than an ale, so I'm gonna just call it ginger beer. Anyway when I was backpacking through Costa Rica and Panama I couldn't get enough of the Fresca down there, its made with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.
So I had some extra Grapefruits in the fridge and thought what the hell. The process I use in making ginger beer is the same one I used in the grapefruit recipe, I am going to do post on the ginger beer recipe soon. OK lets get to it!
This makes 2 liter, You will need....
1 empty plastic 2 liter bottle... OK, I know some people have an aversion to using plastic, and your more than welcome to try using glass. Just be warned that with glass you cant tell how much pressure is in the container and it could blow the top. With the plastic bottle its easy to push on the side to check for hardness.
3-5 Grapefruits... depending on the size and amount your doing, you could use more grapefruit juice to less sugar really.
1 cup - 1 1/2 cup Cane Sugar.
1 cup water
1/2 a lemon
1/4 teaspoon Champagne yeast... If you live somewhere that is unfortunate enough not to have a home brewing shop then I'm so sorry, but you can pick up this yeast at Northern Brewer
Ok, your gonna be amazed at how easy this is! The first thing your gonna want to do is Juice the grapefruits and the 1/2 lemon. The juice can be set aside in a container, next boil the 1 cup water and remove from heat, you don't want the sugar to burn to the bottom of the pan.
Now you can add the Sugar and mix until dissolved. So what I said earlier about the amount of sugar to juice would apply here. If you add less sugar it will be less sweet, but the juice is is somewhat sweet already, so I would recommend making the soda my way first if this is your first attempt at making soda and then tweak the recipe to better fit what your looking for.
. From here add the Juice that was set aside earlier, you can let the sugar water cool or not, I don't think it really matters. The juice is going to cool it down anyway. Once the juice is added, use a funnel to pour the the sugar/juice mixture in to the bottle.
Next top off the bottle with water (very important, leave about and inch of head space at the top) and give it a taste. You can add more sugar at this point if its not sweet enough.
The head space will allow for room for carbonation. Next add the 1/4 teaspoon champagne yeast, and cap the bottle and shake to mix the yeast (not hard).
Real quick about yeast, the reason you want to use champagne yeast verses bakers yeast or ale yeast. Is because your just using it to carbonate the soda. A beer yeast would add to much flavor and through off the taste of the soda, champagne yeast doesn't add much for flavor. As far a bakers yeast goes.... I wouldn't try it, I mean any yeast added to any sugar should make carbonation or even alcohol given enough time. Just stick with the champagne yeast!
Alright your done! You just made homemade soda! All that's left is to let it set for a day or two. Just let it set on the counter out of direct light for 24 to 48 hours, I have had ginger beer ready in 24 hours before but I normally let it go for 48 hours. Once the bottle is hard when you try and push in on the side that's your cue its done. Put the bottle in the refrigerator until chilled, this will also stop the yeast from eating anymore sugar, stopping it from carbonating anymore.
I would also recommend opening the bottle over the kitchen sink and open very slowly!
Pour yourself a glass and enjoy. Cheers!
As always thanks for reading and never stop creating!
