Cherry Juice Soda

Let's try to make some Cherry Juice carbonated soda. Why cherry juice? Drinking a glass of cherry juice in now considered the super drink. Eating cherries and drinking cherry juice is the new health graze. Listed below is just a few of the health benefits found in cherries

Helps fights cancers.
Helps prevent heart problems.
Relieve pain from arthritis,gout, and headaches.
Helps the body produce melatonin.

I can not vouch for any of these claims. I do, however, feel that any beverage made from 100% fruit juice has to be beneficial. Carbonated fruit drinks taste good and are easy to make. Adults as well as the children will love cherry soda floats. ( cherry soda served over vanilla ice cream).

This recipe will make one gallon. Cherry Lemon/lime Soda.

You will need one gallon of 100% cherry juice. You can find it in the natural food section at your supermarket. 3 or 4 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice.

Add the lemon juice to one gallon of juice ,stir to mix.
Add 1/8th teaspoon of yeast to 1/4 cup of lukewarm water. Let set for a minute or two.
add to your cherry juice. Stir to mix. (you may want to use a gallon jug or large pot).
Use a funnel to bottle, leaving an inch or two of space at the top.Store in a dark place or out of direct sunlight.
Check for carbonation after two days. If bottles feel firm, good . Store in refrigerator. Enjoy.

Eggong "The way I remember it"

The Holiday season reminds me of many things, Eggnog is one of them. My Grandfather always made eggnog at Thanksgiving and Christmas. He usually made about a gallon. He would put it in a crock and set out on the back porch. A little sip of his eggnog would knock your shoes right off.He never did write his recipe down on paper, but I remember he used good bourbon. The following recipe is one that I think you will like.

You will need the following:

6 beaten eggs
2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup of sugar
3 or 4 shots glasses of bourbon
3 or 4 shots of rum
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of whipping cream
A little nutmeg

Combine eggs,milk, and 1/3 cup sugar . Cook over medium heat untill sugar is dissolved and the milk sticks to the spoon. Do not boil. Remove from heat and cool quickly. You may want to set pot in cold water. Keep stirring for several minutes.Now add the good stuff.,bourbon,rum and a little vanilla. Place in a cool place for a day.

When serving pour into a small cup. top with homemade whipped cream and sprinkle a little nutmeg on top. This recipe will make about 10 4 oz. servings.

Old Fashion "Hot Buttered Rum"

I remember my family serving Hot Buttered Run drinks after dinner on Thanksgiving and during Christmas. I am not sure if this is the exact recipe that they used. But, you may want to try it.This recipe makes about a cup of buttered run base, which can be used right away, or you can store it in the refrigerator for up to one month.You will have enough for about 10 6-ounce servings.

3/4 cups brown sugar.
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1/4 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
A touch of cinnamon
A touch of allspice
Rum
Boiling water

Combine the sugar,butter, lemon peel,cinnamon and allspice, in a small mixing bowl. Mix well.
That is all there is to the Buttered Rum Base.

For one serving use 1 full tablespoon to a mug or large coffee cup. Add your favorite rum and fill with boiling water. This drink is served hot, so be careful. I have also seen it topped with a scoop of whipping cream. Enjoy.

Flavoring ingredients for Old Fashion Rootbeer

Here is a list of other common flavoring ingredients that many home brewers use in homemade root beer or homemade soda.

Dried burdock root
Juniper berries
A drop of oil of Wintergreen
One or two raisins in each bottle of root beer
Dried spikenard root
Dried yellow dock root
Dried prickly ash bark
Dried cherry bark
Allspice

You can search the inernet to find others,I have used some from this list, but I have not tied them all.If you know of others please let me at starkey25@earthlink.net

Make One Gallon of Old Fashion Rootbeer

This recipe will make a one gallon batch of old fashion root beer.My previous post listed the flavoring root and barks that you will need.

Pour about two quarts of filtered water into a medium size pan.
Add 1/4 oz.dried sassafras root bark. (optional)
Add 1/4 oz. dried birch bark
Add 1/4 oz. dried sarsaparilla root
Add 1/8 oz. dried licorice root.
Add about 1 or 2 inches of unpeeled fresh ginger root, thinly sliced.
Add one 5 inch vanilla bean. Or use approx. 1/4 tablespoon of vanilla extract.

Bring to boil. Remove from heat and let steep for about 2 hours.
Strain this mixture through a cheesecloth lined sieve into a gallon jug or a larger pot.
Add the other two quarts of filtered water. Stir well.


Let your root beer cool to about 75 o F. (lukewarm)

Now add one and a half cups of sugar.you can experiment a little here. Mix a little brown sugar with some of the white sugar. A little more molasses or a little less. Stir to dissolve sugar.
Add about 1/2 cup of dark molasses. stir well.
Add 1/8 teaspoon of Ale yeast into 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Let set for a minute or two. Stir into your root beer. Let set for another 15 or twenty minutes.
Use a funnel to fill your bottles . Leave about 2" of headspace in each bottle. Do not over fill.Be sure caps are on tight. let set at room temperature for about 12 hours. Check fermentation by squeezing the bottle. if firm Place in your refrigerator. If not, let set for a few more hours. Keep checking. Chill for about 4 or 5 days before opening your first bottle. Your homemade root beer will last for about a month. Enjoy.

Old Fashion Rootbeer Ingredients.

The following list of ingredients are some of the flavoring roots and barks that I have used. You may want to add other flavoring ingredients. Putting together your own recipe is part of the fun of home brewing. You will need the following:

One gallon filtered water( purchase at your supermaket).
1/8 tsp. of Ale yeast ( You can find a your local wine supply store)
1/4 oz. Dried sassafras root. ( about 2 tablespoons) Optional.
1/4 oz. dried sarsaparilla root. (about 2 tablespoons)
1/4 oz. Dried birch bark. (about 2 tablespoons)
1/8 oz. dried licorice root. ( about 1 tablespoon)
1 inch of fresh ginger root, sliced thin. (can be purchaased at your supermarket)
1 vanilla bean, split or crushed a little. (try about 1/4 tablespoon of vanilla extract)
1 & 1/2 cups of sugar. ( try some white with some brown)
1/2 cup of dark molasse

You can purchase these roots and herbs online. I also have a pre measured packet available . you can contact me at starkey25@earthlink.net.

Old Fashion Rootbeer "Make one gallon"

Before We Get Started I Need To Bring To Your Attention Several Important Considerations.

Sugar & Yeast:

When we mix sugar and active yeast to gather fermentation will take place. As a result a small amount of alcohol will be produced. We need the sugar and yeast to carbonate our root beer or soda. We are only going to use 1/8 tsp. of yeast per one gallon of root beer.We will not let the fermentation process last very long.We do not expect exploding bottles. The alcohol produced will be very,very small.

The Use of Sassafras

In the late 1960's the FDA found that one of the components of sassafras(safrole) caused cancer in labatory rats when given in large amounts.As a result, commercial brewers of root beer do not use natural grown sassafras. They use a sassafras extract with the safrole removed. Keep in mind that most home brewers still use the natural dried sassafras root in all of their homemade root beer and soda recipes. Yes, sassafras is also used as a flavoring agent in many other soft drink recipes

Sanitizing Your Bottles.

I use plastic pop bottles to bottle my carbonated root beer and soda. I have used 12 - ounce bottles, 1 liter or 2 liter plastic bottles. I feel that plastic bottles are a little safer to use. I am sure you have heard that carbonation can get high enough to cause glass bottles to explode. I have had that happen on several occasions when I first started brewing my own root beer. I usually rinse my bottle after use with hot water and let air dry. I do not like to wash them with soapy water as it is very difficult to completely rinse out all of the soap suds. If you want to make sure that there is no bacteria present to spoil your root beer ,you may want to sanitize your bottles and other utensils that you are using. A simple and safe way is to soak your bottles in water in which you add about two tablespoons of regular,unscented bleach in each gallon of water.Soak for about 30 minutes or you can just leave them in the bucket until ready to use. Be sure to rinse with hot water and let dry. Don't forget the caps.

One More Cautionary Note.

When it is time to open your bottle of root beer,Go easy. As you know yeast produces a natural carbonation that puts the fizzle in our pop.You may want to go to your kitchen sink and very slowly twist off the cap. Let any excess gas escape a little at a time. Putting a clean cloth over the cap is a good ideal. Very often you will get a geyser of foam.

Homemade Root Beer "Made From Scratch"

You will be using roots ,barks and spices which were the same ingredients that our grandparents would have used. This is the fun part of making Old Fashion Root Beer

We are not using a root beer extract. We are actuallyusing the same roots,bark and spices that the recipe called for in the early days. About the only difference is that we will be using dried herbs and roots that have been commercially processed . Finding the various roots growing in the wild is time consuming.Besides, most of us would not be able to identify the exact trees that we need to begin with. Still, there are many who still enjoy the spring or fall ritual of digging up fresh roots for their homemade root beer.We also use our refrigerator to stop the carbonation process. The yeast we use today is better and the brewing method is very simple.The only thing that I would not tinker with is the amount of yeast called for in the recipe. Use only 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of root beer or soda.

If we were to spend time researching Old Fashion Root Beer recipes we would find a large number of recipes with a wide variety of different roots,spices and barks to flavor the root beer. The following recipe is a basic and simple one. The ingredients are usually easy to find at natural food stores or online. I have the basic ingredients available at starkey25@earthlink.net The following recipe is one that I like. It has a good root beer taste.I make just one gallon at time so that I can "twig" it a little bit . A little more of this and little less of that. I will type a list of additional ingredients that you can use . Remember, that making root beer or other carbonated soft drinks is not an exact science.You should feel free to use your imagination to enhance your own recipe to suit your own taste.

Homemade Cherry Flavored Soda (pop)

Cherry Juice, The new super drink. The benefits of eating cherries and drinking 100% cherry juice is the new health craze. I have listed just a few of the health benefits found in cherries.
Helps fights cancer.
Helps prevent heart problems.
Relieve pain from arthritis, Gout,and headaches.
Helps the body produce melatonin.

I can not vouch for any of these claims.I do,however, feel that any beverage made frome 100% fruit juice can be beneficial. Carbonated (puts the fizz in our drink) fruit drinks are easy to make. Adults as well as the children will love the taste and the fun of making their own pop.

This fruit drink recipe requires one gallon of 100% cherry juice. You can find it at the super market in the organic food section.This first recipe is very easy and you will enjoy the taste.
You will need 1 gallon 100% cherry juice.
About 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice.
1/8th teaspoon of Ale yeast with 1/4 cup of lukewarm water.

All you need to do is add the lemon juice to the cherry juice. Stir to mix.
Add 1/8tsp of yeast to a little lukewarm water, let stand for a minute or two.
Add to your mixture. Stir to mix.
Bottle and store in dark place. (makes about 4 1 liter plastic bottles)
After about two days, squizze the bottles to feel if they are firm. If so place in your refrigerator.
If not, let carbonation take place for another day, than check again.

Later I will post additional recipes and information on making home made root beer and sodas.