We haven’t drunk soda in our house since before my kids were born. I used to guzzle it like a glutton until it caught up to me and I literally made myself sick of it in college. Some things you have to learn the hard way. My wife has been healthy and more dietetically balanced since I’ve known her, but for me it’s been more of a learning curve. 

To that end, having ended my battle with soda as a regular beverage, I began to slowly reevaluate it after a few years of none at all. One soda in particular has always been on the fence in my mind for its effectiveness during colds and ailments. I’m speaking, of course, about ginger ale. 

Now if you ask a handful of people, you will get a handful of answers as to which brands make true ginger ale and which ones are commercial copycats utilizing sugary ingredients to replace the major true ingredient of a proper ginger ale. Having heard the debates among friends, I remained skeptical about the beverages’ true potency or health values. I knew what should be in true ginger ale. And that was essentially ginger itself. 

The carbonation that is infused in the sugar water was of little appeal to me, but the bubbles themselves were a vital component to enjoying the drink. With this train of thought, I turned to the internet and began to search for a natural recipe for ginger ale. What I quickly learned was that you cannot make ginger ale without a ginger bug. 

To sum it up for anyone who isn’t familiar with fermented foods, it is essentially the sourdough starter of ginger fermented sodas. You need the culture in order to create the finished fermented drink that derives its bubbles from a natural biological reaction, as opposed to artificial carbonation.

Apparently, you can also use the bug to make other fermented sodas or enhance things like bread, kombucha and even pancakes. But one thing at a time. Before I could make my ginger ale, the bug must come first.

After seeing some more complicated recipes, I settled on an amalgamation of the fewest ingredients and the simplest follow-up. As it turns out, my simplification resulted in what appears to be a healthy starter bug and will soon feed my ginger ale dreams. 

I think the most important part is working with clean ingredients and clean vessels. Introducing contaminants into something that derives its bacteria from the air would likely be a fast way to ruin the bug. Fortunately my first attempt fared well, and hopefully yours does as well.

The way out here we don’t like catching the winter bug, but if we do, there’s a healthy bug to fight back against it. Keep some in your pantry for a healthy, non-commercialized staple in the fight for your family’s health.