Mugwort & Grapefruit Soda Recipe

This recipe comes from Ellen Zachos' book the Wildcrafted Cocktail and was highlighted in Doug's story for The Green Voice.

This soda should be allowed to just begin to ferment; you're doing it for the carbonation, not for the alcohol.

Makes 1.5 - 2 quarts of Mugwort & Grapefruit Soda.

Mugwort & Grapefruit Soda

This recipe comes from Ellen Zachos' book the Wildcrafted Cocktail and is crafted with only four simple ingredients.

• 2 cups sugar
• 3 cups warm water
• 3 grapefruits (juiced)
• 4 cups mugwort leaves

1. Combine the sugar, warm water, and grapefruit juice in a half-gallon jar. Stir or shake to dissolve the sugar.

2. Add the mugwort leaves and poke them under the liquid so they are completely submerged. Cover the jar with a clean dish towel and set it on the counter to ferment, stirring once a day.

3. After 3 to 5 days you should notice bubbles when you stir. This is the beginning of fermentation. Continue to stir once a day and start tasting

4. When the soda is nice and bubbly, strain out the solids and set them aside. Pour the soda into sterilized 1-liter plastic bottles, leaving several inches of headspace at the top.

5. Leave the bottles at room temperature for 2 days, checking the carbonation level once a day by giving them a quick burp. When they fully carbonated, move the bottle to the refrigerator to stop fermentation.

6. Spread the solids (grapefruit pulp and mugwort leaves) on a dehydrator sheet and dry until they're brittle. These can be ground as needed and combined with the salt to rim a Primitive Paloma.