We’ve already taken a look at how Bulletin Place makes their lacto fermented macadamia honey (get that recipe here), and today we’re diving into their Riberry & Lemon Myrtle Kombucha recipe.
But first though, it helps to ask: what is kombucha?
We’ll ask bar manager Evan Stroeve to explain. “It’s a combination of tea, and something called a SCOBY — symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast,” he says. “So rather than just straight yeast consuming sugar and creating alcohol, you’ve got the yeast doing that and vingear bacteria, acetic acid bacteria, consuming the alcohol and turning it into vinegar.”
For kombucha, the mother (or SCOBY) grows on top of the liquid where it interacts with oxygen, so a wide-mouthed vessel is best to use. To get the mother happening, you can buy commerically made kombucha with a live mother in it (get one that is unflavoured), pour it into a wide jar and cover with a cloth. Your mother should begin to grow a skin on the surface of the liquid and hey presto, your SCOBY is here.
Once you’ve got that, take Stroeve’s recipe for his Bad & Boochy for a spin.
The recipe below employs their recipe for Riberry & Lemon Myrtle Kombucha, and it’s a flavoursome, refreshing drink we wish we had several bottles of at home.
Bad & Boochy
- 20 ml Cocchi Americano
- 20 ml Amontillado Sherry
- 20 ml Aperol
- 25 ml Riberry/Lemon Myrtle Kombucha ((see below))
- 20 ml champagne acid
- 35 ml water
- Batch all ingredients and carbonate to 45psi, bottled.
- Pour over block ice in a tumbler.
- Garnish with lemon myrtle leaf.
Recipe by Evan Stroeve, Bulletin Place, Sydney.
For the Riberry/Lemon Myrtle Kombucha
Ingredients:
- 1 SCOBY 10% “Sour Mash” (liquid from a previous batch)
- 1000ml dechlorinated water
- 2 black tea bags
- raw sugar (13.5 Brix)
- 500g riberries
- 500g sugar
- lemon myrtle leaves and flowers
Primary fermentation:
- Boil water to dechlorinate.
- Bring to room temperature.
- Infuse Tea and remove.
- Add sugar to 13.5 brix.
- Add 10% “Sour Mash” by weight.
- Add SCOBY.
- Leave to primary ferment for 1 week, or until you are happy with the sweet/sour balance.
Secondary fermentation:
- Fine strain, reserving SCOBY and some mother for next batch
- Cook riberries and sugar sous vide for 2 hours at 70 degrees.
- Brew a Lemon Myrtle Tea/Tisane.
- Combine Riberry Syrup and Lemon Myrtle Tisane to taste.
- Add 4 parts kombucha to 1 part Riberry/Lemon Myrtle.
- Bottle in PET bottles and bottle condition for 3-5 days.
- Pour and enjoy!
Lasts for 1 Week, chilled.