Root Beer Water Kefir
Flavoring water kefir with a simple syrup made of nourishing roots and herbs is simple to do and tastes great. Not only that, root beer water kefir is packed with gut and other health benefits.
Ingredients
- 1 quart water kefir (first ferment completed)
- 2-4 T sarsaparilla bark
- 6-8 anise stars
- 1 T freshly grated ginger
- 1 tsp whole cloves (or use 1/2 tsp dried ginger)
- 3/4 C sugar (I use evaporated cane juice, but regular white sugar should work)
- 1/4 C molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Measure one quart (4 C) filtered water (NOT water kefir!) into a saucepan. Heat to a simmer while adding sarsaparilla, anise stars, cloves, and ginger.
- Simmer gently, not allowing to boil, for about 45 minutes. Stir in sugar, molasses, and vanilla until they dissolve.
- Cool completely, then strain the solids out and pour the remaining liquid into a bottle or jar for storage.
- To make root beer water kefir, pour one quart of plain water kefir into a bottle and add half a cup or so of the root beer syrup. cover the bottle tightly and allow to ferment until it reaches the desired level of fermentation. "Burp" the bottle daily by removing the top to release pressure and prevent any explosion!
- When the mixture is as bubbly as you want it to be, put it in the refrigerator. Serve very cold.
Notes
How do you calculate the calories?
The calories per serving vary based on many factors! If you make the syrup using these amounts of sugar and divided among 3-4 quarts of water kefir for 12 servings, then fermented for 3 days, you get about 23 calories per serving.
The activity level of the water kefir, the warmth of the fermentation location, the exact proportion of the syrup to water kefir, and other factors affect the number of calories you end up with. If anything, you are likely to get more than 12 servings out of each batch of syrup, so you may have fewer calories in your fniished root beer.