Although it ferments slightly, traditional South African ginger beer is non-alcoholic, making it a popular festive drink for all ages. The natural fizz created by yeast and raisins is part of what makes it so special. Homemade and refreshingly different from store-bought sodas
| Created by | Spinneys |
| Prep time | 10 minutes |
| Fermentation Time | 2 hours |
| Cook time | 5 minutes |
| Serves | 4 |
| Cuisine | South African |
| Diet | Vegan |
| Preparation | Easy |
| Calories | 406 |
| Fat | 0.44g |
| Saturates | 0.07g |
| Protein | 1.4g |
| Carbs | 87.75g |
| Sugars | 80g |
| Given the cook-at-home nature of Spinneys and natural variations in ingredients, nutritional information is approximated. See details | |
Ingredients
Cooking Instructions
Download PDFPlace 90g blueberries, water and sugar in a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes and remove from the heat.
Peel and finely grate the ginger. Zest and juice the lemon. Mix the ginger, blueberry syrup mixture, lemon zest and lemon juice in a jug. Pour the boiling water into the mixture and stir in the raisins to combine. Set aside to cool and add the yeast. Stir to dissolve.
Cover the jug with cling film and leave to stand in a warm place for 2 hours. During this time, the raisins will begin to rise and float to the top. Once all the raisins are floating and the mixture has developed a few bubbles, the ginger beer is ready to bottle.
Filter the mixture through muslin cloth, or a very fine mesh sieve to remove all the bits, and then bottle the ginger beer in sterilised glass bottles with secure lids. Place a raisin in each bottle.
Store the bottles at room temperature overnight to develop a fizz. The following day, open each bottle to release some of the built-up gas. You can now store the ginger beer in the fridge – the cold temperature will prevent it from fermenting further. It will keep for up to one week.
Serve in glasses filled with ice and topped with sprigs of fresh mint and edible flowers.
