Ginger Bug Lemon Soda

Make the ginger bug: combine 2 cups chlorine-free water, 2 tablespoons ginger, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a clean quart jar. Stir well and cover with a breathable cloth.

Each day for 3–5 days, stir in 1 tablespoon fresh ginger and 1 tablespoon sugar. Keep the jar at about 68–72°F out of direct sunlight. The bug is ready when it is actively bubbly after stirring and smells pleasantly gingery and lightly fermented.

If the ginger bug develops fuzzy mold, colored surface growth, slime, or a putrid/off odor, discard it and begin again.

For the soda, dissolve 1/2 cup sugar in 1 cup of the water using gentle heat or very hot water. Add the remaining 4 1/2 cups water and let the mixture cool completely to room temperature.

Stir in the lemon juice and 1/2 cup strained active ginger bug liquid. Do not add the ginger bug while the base is hot.

Transfer the soda to clean pressure-rated carbonation bottles, leaving 1–2 inches headspace.

Condition at room temperature for about 12–36 hours, checking pressure several times. Fermentation speed varies widely. Refrigerate as soon as the bottle is clearly pressurized or the soda has the fizz you want.

Chill completely for at least 6 hours. Open slowly over a sink and away from your face. Serve cold.

To keep the remaining ginger bug alive, refrigerate it and feed it periodically with equal small amounts of ginger and sugar, or maintain it at room temperature with daily feedings if using it frequently.