Bitten Word readers cooked every recipe in the September 2013 Bon Appétit magazine. Here's their take on Fermented Grape Soda.
Jenne Convoy: Wellll, I didn't look at the recipe right away so I didn't realize it took over a week to make! So here is a photo of day 3 of the ginger bug. So far I can report that it smells excitingly gingery and is starting to bubble up. I'll let you know how things progress. :-)
Sherree: This seemingly easy recipe was anything but. I found myself asking so many questions through the process. I am not even sure if it turned out properly but the flavor is good and it'll be a memory to try again.
Larisa Hull: The Fermented Grape Soda is a challenge I may never have taken on without this push. After searching for organic ginger with no luck, I opted for non-organic fresh ginger and started two days later than the recipe required. Mine turned out to be more of a Fermented Grape Juice or Cider, but what it lacked in fizz it gained in flavor. Gingery with just the right amount of sweet and tart, this drink boasts a lengthy, sometimes cumbersome, repetition of freshly grated ginger and teaspoons of sugar added to water over a period of days. However, the tang of pressed red grape juice added to this "ginger bug" produces a versatile, summery beverage that was greeted with compliments. I recommend the adventurous kitchen deity try it themselves.
Tim: What's a bug? A fermented ginger base that will bubble by itself but appear to die quickly when added to other ingredients. It is supposed to add carbonation to drink the old fashioned way. Instead it adds sadness. UPDATE SEVERAL DAYS LATER: After leaving the grape alone for a couple more days, it bubbled! And carbonated the soda! It opened sounding like a soda, smelled like pizza dough and tasted like something had gone horribly wrong. Maybe it had gone too far into alcohol production. I didn't drink enough to really tell. The few small sips I took were all I could stomach. I am waiting to see if anyone got this recipe to work. I'll go back to something easy, like rocket science.
Susan Peruzzi: I started a bit late because I never imagined the recipe would take more than 7 days. The recipe was easy and something completely new for me. I am 6 days into it and the soda looks good. I can't wait for it to be done!
Kara: What I really liked about this dish was its natural take on soda, something that is so refreshing during warmer months. The only downfall was that the fermentation process is lengthy; not time consuming, but you need a solid week before the grape soda is ready for consumption (similar to a sourdough starter, you "feed" a ginger bug)!
Maggie Wolfe: This recipe was fun and worked well despite not using organic ginger. This yields a good sized batch of ginger bug for other uses. Most importantly, it is delicious! Tastes like a grown up version of grape soda.
Get the Fermented Grape Soda recipe at Bon Appétit
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