I had a couple girlfriends over to share the awesomeness of all things kombucha. Looking back at my previous posts, I realize that while I’ve touched on kombucha, I’ve not gone too deep into what it is and how to make it. Of course you can just go find it at your local grocery stores these days.
Kombucha is a fermented tea drink that is purportedly rich in probiotics and other stuff good for our tummies, joints, brains, and bodies. I’m not a doctor, just a nerd who likes to play with stuff in my kitchen.
Here’s my basic recipe:
1 gallon water
10 black tea bags
1 ¼ cup sugar
1 scoby and starter tea
• Bring water to a boil.
• Add sugar and stir to dissolve.
• Turn off heat
• Add 8-10 black tea bags and let steep at least 5 minutes, but as long as overnight.
This must cool to room temperature before you add your scoby or starter tea. Any warmer than 85-95 degrees and you can kill you starter.
Cover with a coffee filter and set aside in a warm place, out of direct light, for about 2 weeks or until your scoby grows to cover the surface. Start tasting your kombucha after 5-7 days. When it tastes good, drink it and start the process over again.
If you want to add flavor to your tea, you can do it by adding, or substituting, 6 additional bags of tea. I like ginger tea (I prefer Yogi Ginger tea), chai, or green tea.
The cocktail I made for the ladies was a riff on the classic margarita. Kobucha with it’s slightly tart flavor is a perfect pairing with lime.
1.5 oz tequila
.5 oz triple sec
1.5 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
Build over ice in a rocks glass and top with kombucha.
Perfect for a summer evening on the patio.
Lula Harp 