Kombucha Cocktail, Fabulous!

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Here is a crazy thought:

 Make a delicious cocktail that´ll give you a  nutritious kick.

Cheers! 

I know I know.. a beer there, a moijto here, not to mention the oh so stressed cup of coffee each morning. When did this happen? When did our drinking (what ever it is) habits go from being an active choice to being something we "just do" because everyone else "just does it"? Well, here is a thought.. tune in your yummy tummy intuition and have a little chat with it. Maybe it´s up for a new kind of drink, a drink that just might love you back!? Meet my super cool (and slimy) Kombucha.

 Hi, my name is Kombucha and I´ll love you long time, baby!

A few years ago I stayed a couple of months in the arms of Bali, an absolutely magical land - very special and exciting in loads of ways. One of them being the millions of nerdy food explorations I found myself on. In Ubud there is an organic market two times a week and guess where you would find me each Friday and Wednesday? Duh, stupid question. This market, Yoga Barn and the Vedanta teachings were my hot spots. Strolling around the market getting to know the people selling things like raw cacao beans (I had 2 kilos in my bag when leaving for Sweden), local soap nuts and magic Kombucha mushrooms were one of my favorite parts of the week.

Now do not get me wrong, this is not THAT kind of magical mushroom. The Kombucha is actually a bacterial culture formed into a slimy mushroom-like form, thereby the often occurring confusion.

Anyhow, one of these market days I was offered a Kombucha baby as going-home-gift and even though I did not think I would be able to take it with me, I gratefully thanked and walked back home. The departure day came and by that time both me and my travelling sistah, Lovisa had grown so fond of the kombucha (that we named Börje...hm) and I just had to figure out a way to get it home...

Here is the thing, Kombucha cultures are very sensitive to both temperature changes and low temperatures (think storeroom in a plane). Also it is not advised to fully put the lid on since it needs oxygen all the time. See my problem? Ah well, let´s give it a shot I thought and wrapped the little glass jar in MANY soft clothes. It worked, and 3 years later this Kombucha baby has turned into a Kombucha mama and provides me with many magical and super nutritious drinks.

Sipping bubbly pineapple flavoured Kombucha Cocktail in the garden, why not!?

Fun & Fabulous Facs

If you have ever read anything about Kombucha you were probably surprised by the looong list of discomforts and/or diseases that Kombucha brew might stabilize or even reduce. But hey, I did not call it magical for nothing! It´s recorded history dates to 250 BC (!) when the Chinese called it "the immortal health elixir" and who would not like some of that? Since Kombucha is a culture of friendly bacteria and pretty much all good things comes from a balanced and nurtured immune system one would be wise to drink some kombucha once in a while. In popular literature it is listed as a cure for everything from cancer to arthritis but it´s most often mentioned when talking about balancing the digestion and problems directly linked to it. So if you have a troublesome tummy, constipation or other, try giving yourself a Kombucha boost and see what it will do for You!

Brewing Kombucha

...is not as hard as people might say. All you need are three simple ingredients, Kombucha culture, your tea of choice and organic brown sugar (+ a glass vessel, a wooden spoon and some patience). Do not get scared off but the fact that it contains sugar because that´s what the Kombucha culture needs to ferment. Once the brew is ready it is way lower in sugar than any freshly squeezed orange juice.

• Get a Kombucha starter from a friend or shop
• Make a pot of hot tea (I love using green Hoijcha tea which has a slight smoky taste to it)
• Add approximately 1/2 - 1 tsp of sugar per cup of water
• Let it cool to room temperature (NEVER expose the Kombucha culture to very hot or very cold water).
• Pour the tea into a large glass jar/vessel and add the "mushroom" and the starter liquid.
• Cover the vessel with a cloth that let´s it breathe.
• Choose a place that is slightly warm and never windy and let it sit there in room temperature for two weeks.
• Check in on it after two weeks. By this time it has probably produced a "baby kombucha" on the surface and the liquid tastes vinegary. If it´s still very sweet, let it sit for another week or so.
• When it´s ready, remove the mushroom(s) with the help of a wooden spoon (metal will kill it) and rinse it under lukewarm water. 
• Now pour the kombucha brew into a clean glass vessel through a cheese cloth or nut milk bag to remove any culture "left overs". Store in the fridge for a few weeks. REMEMBER to save 10% of the brew (starter liquid) to add to your next brew along with the Kombucha culture.
•  You can add a flavour if you like. My go to is the combo lemon and ginger but I do recommend you to make the cocktail of course! (recipe further down)

 

Pineapple Kombucha Cocktail

Now that you have the Kombucha brew you can turn it into a zillion different things like soups, shots or maybe bring it to the next party an make a fab cocktail. I know I will! Drinks all around!

10 cocktails

1 large pineapple, juiced

1.5 litres of Kombucha brew

1. Mix the pineapple juice with the Kombucha brew, add a few ice cubes or maybe some frozen pineapple sticks.

This is a great way to get a natural boost on when attending or hosting a party (dance all night, baby!) not to mention the obvious hot conversation topic of the evening.

Note. I do love a glass of celebrating champagne from time to time and I have a soft spot for reeeeeeally spectacular organic wine/coffee, that´s true. Thing is I do not drink it on a regular basis and never have. It´s never been and tough choice, just a result of me listening to what my body and soul wish for. So even if I actually was a barista once (!) and adore the smell of coffee beans, I´d swap a cappuccino for this kombucha cocktail -bubbly by the fermentation process- any day!

Keep in touch on Twitter and Facebook, Earthsproutling, I´d love to hear your words on this matter!

°°Elenore°°

Till er fina svenska läsare

Jag är så sanslöst glad att ni finns och läser de ord och smakexplosioner jag delar på Earthsprout. Som allt annat spännande i livet utvecklas saker och ting och höger och vänster och gör att förändringar hoppar fram. Den tiden det tar att skriva dessa inlägg både på engelska och svenska är väldigt lång, och eftersom majoriteten av er Earthsproutlingar inte bor i sverige vill jag nu ställa en fråga. Hur hade du tyckt det var om jag endast skrev på engelska?

Den värdefulla tid jag tjänat, kan jag i det fall lägga på massor av andra toksköna saker som ni självklart kommer att nås av inom en snar framtid! 

Så skriv en kommentar här nedan eller kontakta mig på Twitter / Facebook för att berätta vad du hur du tycker! 

 En Galet Grön Skön helg till er, vänner!

°°Elenore°°